Capitol, partners sign MOA for disaster preparedness training The provincial government has forged a pact with private sector partners for the implementation of a community-based disaster risk reduction and management project for Cebu. Dubbed as Noah’s Ark, the memorandum of agreement was signed by Governor Hilario P. Davide III with Conchita M. Ragragio, executive director of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) and Ramon R. Isberto, Public Affairs Group head of Smart Communications, Inc. Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, Marilou G. Erni, General Manager Petron Foundation, Inc. and Reena Villamor, assistant vice president, Advertising and Communications, Pru Life UK/Prudence Foundation, witnessed the signing. In thanking all the project partners, Govenor Davide said he was embarrassed that the province of Cebu does not have a comprehensive contingency plan in times of disasters. He added that disaster preparedness is the top priority of his administration. When he took over last June, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office was the very first office he inspected. The past disasters: the ship collision, earthquake, and the category five (5) super typhoon Yolanda that pounded northern Cebu has taught the province a lesson, Davide added. “I hope the forthcoming trainings and workshops will really help all our local governments, including the provincial government of Cebu, and our co-workers here on disaster preparedness,” he said. The project is patterned from the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Office’s (APSEMO) disaster preparedness plan of the disaster-prone province of Albay, which had zero casualty in 16 years except in the year 2006. Dr. Cedric Daep, head of APSEMO will be supervising the eight (8) month training. CNDR members Smart, Petron, and Pru Life are the principal sponsors of the project. The “training of trainers” beneficiaries will be the key decision-makers in the 43 towns and seven (7) component cities in the province of Cebu. Under the MOA, Smart will provide financial support amounting to P872,660.00; P600,000.00 from Petron; and P436,330.00 from Pru Life/Prudence to implement capacity building activities of the project. The total project cost is estimated at P2.7 million, including Cebu Province’ counterpart. The province will help in the identification of participants and ensure their full and active participation in the trainings and workshops that will be conducted under the capacity building component of the task. In his message, Isberto said it is bad enough that the province of Leyte and Samar and other provinces in Central Philippines were heavily damaged (by the typhoon Yolanda). ”But when you look at it from the economic standpoint, the impact of the calamity was not relatively large, it would have been a very different story if it had hit (Central Cebu). If only for that, Noah’s Ark project should really be done in this province”, Isberto added. Isberto, who studied in Cebu and married a Cebuana, said the training was planned way back before Yolanda struck the country, but stressed that it’s not too late. (PIO/Xerxes Alkuino)
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 05:17:11 +0000
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