Southern Leyte conducts planning workshop for municipal disaster risk reduction operators

Southern Leyte conducts planning workshop 
for municipal disaster risk reduction operators
By RG Cadavos
PIA News Agency
October 13, 2010

Maasin City, Southern Leyte - To drum up province-wide efforts in building capacity to overcome the vulnerability to different kinds of environmental hazards, the Provincial Government through Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council Chairperson Gov. Damian G. Mercado will conduct a Planning Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction to all operators starting today, October 13-15, 2010 at Ampil Pensionne, this city.

The three-day workshop will be attended by the operators assigned in each target municipality and the city of Maasin, it was learned. This is in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), SMART Communications and the World Bank.

Participating government agencies for the said training include the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, PAG-ASA, Department of Science and Technology, the Philippine National Police, Philippine National Red Cross, Office of Civil Defense, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Diocesan Social Action Center, a non-government organization and one representative from the media.

Earlier, Southern Leyte has launched a project, ?Strengthening Disaster Preparedness of Southern Leyte thru SMS Technology? which aims to primarily empower the Provincial Disaster Management Office and Local Government Units and beef up its capacity in helping the respective municipal disaster coordinating councils and emergency response teams to perform their functions in emergency situations particularly during disasters.

The P9.5 million disaster reduction project funded by the World Bank, will benefit at least nine municipalities throughout the province and the city of Maasin, through a web-powered and cell-phone based text messaging. This will serve as an early warning system whenever disaster may occur in the province.

The planning workshop organizers also requested municipal mayors concerned to designate one permanent DRR focal person who shall represent their municipalities in all disaster-related activities and one representative from each member-agencies mentioned earlier. (PIA-soleyte)