The region was selected as one of the recipient of the
Hazard Mapping and Assessment for Effective Community-based
Disaster Risk Management or READY project which involved the
development of locally driven hazard maps for the local
government units (LGUs). Series of community based disaster
risk assessment workshop were conducted by the Office of
Civil Defence (OCD) on the development of early warning
system and evacuation protocol for flood hazard wherein
three pilot municipalities in Albay were selected. Barangay
hazard mapping workshops were also conducted in heavily
damaged barangays in Legazpi City and Daraga, Albay during
Typhoon Reming.
The OCD developed a database of barangays along the coastal
areas including the name of the chairman and their
contact numbers to ensure that weather warning bulletins
would immediately reach them.
The province of Sorsogon conducted baseline research to
define vulnerabilities covering the provincial, municipal
and barangay levels.
The APSEMO implemented the following activities: (a)
formulation of emergency warning system, communication
protocol, and evacuation procedures for flood and landslides
in the barangays; (b) set guidelines in pre-empted
evacuation for typhoons; (c) installed 18 rainfall
monitoring stations at the community level; (d) conducted
pre-emptive evacuation during Typhoon Frank and tail of cold
front/landslides occurrences; (e) collected and validated
data and needs of evacuees; and (f) prepared evacuation
plans identifying and inspecting evacuation centers in the
province and designated pick-up points per barangay. APSEMO
also maintained a close working relationship with the
Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) and the
warning agencies for timely release of PDCC advisories to
communities through local broadcast media.
Capability
Building for LGUs and Other Institutions
International NGOs like the Fundacion Accion Contra El
Hambre (ACF) and the Save the Children Foundation, in
collaboration with the Office of Civil Defence, conducted
contingency planning with pilot provinces, municipalities
and barangays in the provinces of Camarines Sur and
Catanduanes
The OCD conducted workshops with partner agencies and
stakeholders on community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM)
and institutional capacity development. Participatory
capacity and vulnerability assessment activities were done
in barangays.
The OCD conducted earthquake/tsunami and fire drills in
schools for capacity building. In order to test the
effectiveness of WASAR training, a simulation drill was
conducted which was participated by different response
agencies that have attended the training. A tsunami
communication exercise dubbed as Pacific Ocean Wide Tsunami
Exercise was also conducted last October 29, 2008.
The Office of Civil Defense supported the implementation of
special projects on DRM, namely: (a) The READY Project; (b)
European Commission-UNDP-ADPC Assistance Support Project
which Pilot-tested the developed modules on DRR in Social
Studies I and Science I subjects in Albay; (c) Partnership
in Disaster Reduction in Southeast Asia - Asian Disaster
Preparedness Center (PDRSEA – ADPC); and (d) European
Commission-OXFAM Great Britain Assistance Support Project
for good practices in DRM (province of Albay and the
municipality of Labo, Camarines Norte).
The APSEMO, in collaboration with ADPC, initiated
institutional capability building for the municipalities of
Daraga, Camalig and Oas with the primary objective of
institutionalizing disaster risk management office in their
respective municipalities.
It has also established the Emergency Paramedic Training
Program with DOH, BRTTH, and BU to train 457 scholars on
emergency Medical Technician – B that will be the lead group
in terms of emergency response for health in evacuation and
mass casualty management.
Improvement
in Technological Monitoring and Information Dissemination
System
The RDC endorsed the project for improvement of forecasting
and early warning system for meteorological-hydrological
hazards of PAGASA. The projects objectives are to enhance
and upgrade the observation network. It involves the
acquisition of three state of the art S-band doppler radar
systems that will replace the existing weather surveillance
radars in Virac in Catanduanes, Aparri in Cagayan and Guiuan
in Eastern Samar. The project was approved by NEDA-ICC in
December 2008.
Institutionalization
of a Public Safety and Emergency Management Office
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
conceptualized Good Practices in Local Governance: Facility
for Adaptation and Replication (GO-FAR). The project
assisted the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management
Office (APSEMO) in documenting their good practices. These
practices will be shared with other local government units
for replication. In partnership with OXFAM-GB, the
institutionalization of the APSEMO is now being replicated
in the provinces of Sarangani, Sorsogon and Pampanga through
the Provincial Readiness Project. APSEMO together with
NDCC-OCD, PAGASA, PHIVOLCS and DILG conducted two-day
workshops each for the three provinces at the Albay
Provincial Disaster Operation Center in February 2008.
The province of Sorsogon was chosen as one of the pilot
provinces in the OXFAM-GB assisted project entitled
“Learning from Good Practices in Disaster Risk Management”
supported by the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European
Commission. The provincial government of Sorsogon has
created the Provincial Public Safety and Disaster Management
Office through SP Resolution No. 03 s. 2008.
The RDC recognized the importance of LGUs to invest in
pre-disaster activities to reduce disaster risk. The
Development Administration Committee (DAC) discussed the
following policy recommendations that would facilitate in
the prioritization of programs and projects related to DRM,
to wit: (a) a policy to allocate up to 20 percent of the
local calamity fund for pre-disaster activities; (b) to
encourage LGUs to institutionalize their respective Disaster
Management Offices (DMOs) and to allocate regular funds for
their operations; and (c) for DepEd to insure all
schoolbuildings for risk transfer and to facilitate repair
of schoolbuildings damaged by hazards. These concerns were
endorsed to the RDC for approval and adoption.
