MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, June 19 (PIA) --- Local chief executives (LCEs) in the province of Lanao del Sur expressed their commitment to further strengthen Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) system in their respective localities.
The LCEs signified their commitment to build resilience not only in individuals and families but also in communities and institutions, as well as to ensure that the province can “build back better” from disaster along the areas of mitigation, response, rehabilitation and recovery.
As disaster managers, they accepted that they have much work to do in terms of integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into their development policies, plans and programs.
The signing of strengthened commitment on the DRRM highlighted the Provincial Summit on DRRM held on June 10-11 at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall.
The two-day summit, organized by the Office of the Civil Defense of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM) is intended to strengthen the significant roles and responsibilities of LCEs, to learn from the experiences of selected local DRRM offices, to identify challenges to agitate community-based DRRM solutions, and to institutionalize and implement knowledge in DRRM planning, tools, and protocols.
Provincial DRRM Officer Tatar Boriongan said LCEs are the lead authority in ensuring the integration of DRRM and climate change adaptation in local development and poverty reduction.
“Often enough, when disasters strike, the President or head of state comes in for criticism. This is understandable, as the President should take the lead in making sure that key policies, systems and funds are in place when natural disasters occur,” said OCD-ARMM Director Manuel Luis M. Ochotorena.
He however said that reserving the goals of disaster risk reduction and climate change preparedness only for the Office of President is short-sighted and self-defeating for it trivializes the capacity and responsibility of local officials to develop their own strategies in handling climate change.
He said local officials should have immediate access to what they need in times of disaster. They do not need the approval of the President to use equipment, logistics and money, be it for emergency rescues or long-term adaptation projects.
“As local officials, they have the responsibility to ensure that the people who voted for them are given all the assistance they need in cases disasters,” Ochotorena added. (APB/PIA-10)
No comments:
Post a Comment