MCDCB co-head
impressed by LGU actions vs. typhoon; institutionalizing disaster
response mechanisms pressed
By Ramon Aboitiz Foundation
Inc.
December 9, 2014
CEBU CITY – Metro
Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) co-chairman Roberto
Aboitiz is impressed and glad over the response of the local
government units in preparing for typhoon Ruby.
Receiving updates from the
Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) assessment teams sent immediately
after the typhoon hit the province, Abotiz, who is president of the
foundation, said the mayors did their job in preparing their
respective localities and “seeing to it that their constituents are at
the top of their plans.
“They are more focused on
what they need to do,” Aboitiz said, adding that the disaster
preparedness response was a product of past lessons learned, which to
him is the essence of his Bugsay Philosophy, particularly on applying
the lessons and continuously moving forward.
Dominica B. Chua, RAFI chief
operating officer, led the RAFI assessment teams in checking northern
Cebu and saw for herself how the towns and the city of Bogo coped with
the typhoon.
“Even though it was a Sunday
(December 7), it was like a work day in the city, municipal halls,
which served as command posts and with the mayors overseeing all. I
even spoke with one who said he was not able to go home yet because of
the preparations,” she said.
Chua said the mayors took
control of the command centers and saw to it that all preparations
were being carried out and all measures were being observed, including
the stockpiling and distribution of food and other items at the
evacuation centers.
“The people felt the
presence of the government and their sense of confidence and hope
rose,” Chua noted, having visited numerous evacuation centers
identified by the local government units.
Authorities chiefly cited
the preemptive evacuations LGU implemented as the reason why the
number of casualties was very minimal.
Chua said that having seen
the positive effects of good preparation, disaster preparedness should
be institutionalized not only by the LGUs but by the respective homes
itself.
“A change of mindset is very
important, to be prepared rather than complacent, knowing that this
(stronger typhoons) is now the new normal. We must make disaster
preparedness and readiness part of our culture; because as you can
see, it made the difference,” she said.
This year, RAFI, though the
Eduardo Aboitiz Studies Center, held a series of fora discussing
readiness for the “new normal,” especially on building
disaster-resilient communities and infrastructures, assessing risks,
and understanding vulnerabilities.
The sessions were aimed to
increase awareness of the public and key leaders of Cebu towards
making more informed decisions regarding better preparation for
disasters, both in terms of physical and social infrastructure;
improving response, management, and rehabilitation of
disaster-affected areas; and recent trends and new strategies and
approaches towards disaster risk reduction and management and climate
change adaptation applicable in the Philippine context.
Also, Chua said RAFI is
eyeing extending help in Samar, particularly Borongan, which is the
locality worst hit by typhoon Ruby.
She said that following its
assessment, the foundation saw that the Cebu LGUs are capable in
handling the situation in their respective jurisdictions.
As of the moment, RAFI is
awaiting updated information from its partners in Samar. The
additional information would serve as basis for RAFI how to
appropriately respond in terms of providing assistance to those
affected by typhoon Ruby.