LGUs urged to adopt disaster preparedness

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo urged local government units in the Zamboanga Peninsula Monday to formulate and adopt disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation action plans for disaster-free and resilient communities.

Robredo made the appeal after he learned that out of the total 1,904 villages in Region 9 or Western Mindanao, 727 are prone to floods, while 587 others are prone to landslides.

“I heard that there are still a large number of LGUs [local government units] in the Zamboanga Peninsula which are still non-compliant to our disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation campaign,” he said.

Robredo deplored that many of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management councils have yet to submit their respective action plans on both subjects.

He said being prepared is the best remedy to prevent unforeseen calamities and disasters.

He said people should not take the importance of being disaster friendly, citing the disaster that hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City late last year.

At a forum held Monday, Robredo handed down Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) checks to LGUs that have passed the criteria of the Seal of Good Housekeeping.

Qualified government units for the PCF subsidy were the province of Zamboanga Sibugay and the municipalities of Titay, Diplahan, Siay, Tungawan, Buug and Ipil of Zamboanga Sibugay; Manuel Roxas, Polanco and Sergio Osmeña for the province of Zamboanga del Norte; and the municipalities of Aurora and Dumingag of Zamboanga del Sur.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government said Zamboanga Sibugay received P7 million, while the rest got P1 million each. Jamie Marie Elona