Roxas, mayors tackle disaster concerns

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino on Thursday met with 12 Metro Manila mayors to thresh out their concerns on the state of disaster preparedness in their respective areas.

Roxas told the mayors that he called for the meeting to ensure that there was proper coordination between them and the government agencies involved in disaster response.

The discussion included questions on how the state weather bureau could immediately inform the mayors of storm signals to allow them to decide whether or not they would inform schools in their areas to suspend classes.

“What we want to find out is how information such as storm warnings can reach the chief executives who are the decision-makers,” Roxas said.

He added that plans on disaster response were always presented in meetings, but there was still confusion and misunderstanding.

The mayors who attended the meeting were Herbert Bautista (Quezon City); Lani Cayetano (Taguig); Jaime Medina (Pateros); Antonio Calixto (Pasay); Jaime Fresnedi (Muntinlupa); Edwin Olivarez (Parañaque); Oscar Malapitan (Caloocan); Antolin Oreta III (Malabon); John Reynald Tiangco (Navotas); Rexlon Gatchalian (Valenzuela); Maribel Eusebio (Pasig) and Benhur Abalos (Mandaluyong).

Pasay City Rep. Emy Calixto-Rubiano also attended the meeting while Las Piñas City Mayor Vergel Aguilar sent a representative. Joseph Estrada (Manila), Guia Gomez (San Juan) and Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. (Makati) were not present at the meeting.

Olivarez noted that the “channel of communication should always be clear in times of disaster because time is of the essence.”

Abalos noted that beyond the social media network that the state weather bureau uses for information dissemination, it should also maintain a direct line of communication with mayors to update them on weather disturbances.

At the meeting, it was announced that the Department of Science and Technology would provide the mayors SIM cards that would be dedicated solely to weather updates.

The mayors however said they would also give the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration their personal mobile numbers for easier communication.

The local executives were also given a crash course on the Project Noah phone application so they would know how to monitor the weather.

Roxas admitted that there was a “disconnect” between the mayors and the government agencies tasked to handle disaster management and preparedness.

He said he may replicate meetings of this kind in the provinces, adding that he first met with Metro mayors because of Metro Manila’s “unique” problems regarding illegal settlers and floods.