PBSP pushes to educate people of climate change and disaster preparedness action plan in SoLeyte

PBSP pushes to educate people of climate change and disaster preparedness action plan in SoLeyte 
By ES Gorne
Philippine Information Agency
May 9, 2011

SOUTHERN LEYTE, MAY 9 (PIA) - To take the edge off of the impact of the climate change and for any disaster to hit the province, the disaster action front liners shall be able to educate the people thru information, education and communication (IEC).

The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the implementing arm of the project “Strengthening disaster preparedness of Southern Leyte thru SMS technology” will conduct a training-workshop on IEC materials development, Project Manager Jason Calva said in a letter invitation to Philippine Information Agency(PIA) Southern Leyte.

Calva said “it is intended for designated municipal educators for the IEC and disaster action officers of ten (10) target municipalities and the city of Maasin wherein they were expected to educate the general public on the climate change and disaster preparedness.”

He further said that the three-day training workshop will be conducted on May 12-14, 2011 at Ormoc Villa Hotel, Ormoc City, Leyte.

According to Leilani McDonough, the Business Development Manager of PBSP said that from the system installation, where the computers were attached to the cellphones, the project also aims to educate the people to be better informed and help support the project.

The province has chosen ten pilot municipalities in the state of the art communications project as follows: Anahawan, Lilo-an, Pintuyan, Hinunangan, Libagon, San Francisco, San Ricardo, Tomas Oppus, Malitbog and Maasin City with five prioritized, high risk barangays each being identified

Last March 2011, each municipality created disaster action officers headed by (1) Info Board administrator, (1) disaster risk reduction officer and five barangay captains where each group received one Smart Info Board (laptop) and blackberries for the infoboard administrators and ten cellphones with activated sim packs. There will be two cellphones for each barangay – one for the barangay captain and the other for the chairman of the committee on disaster management.