IN OUR continuing quest to build a safe nation, we must look at exemplary efforts so that we may enjoin other communities to strengthen their resilience as well. We want to show our local government units (LGUs) that it can be done — we can fight climate change and we can save our communities from the threats of natural hazards.
It is therefore most welcome that three provinces in Western Visayas – Guimaras, Antique and Capiz – were cited as “Beyond Compliant” awardees in the 22nd Gawad KALASAG Seal for Excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Humanitarian Assistance (local councils and offices category).
On the other hand, the following were recognized as “Beyond Compliant” local government units – the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod and municipalities of Dumalag and Panit-an in Capiz; Bacolod City, Bago City and Sipalay City in Negros Occidental; and Malay in Aklan.
Several more cities and municipalities in Region 6 were deemed “Fully Compliant”.
They all excelled in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation through compliance with various related laws, such as the Solid Waste Management Act, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act and the Climate Change Act, successfully implemented effective land-use planning and made necessary investments to reduce disaster risks.
LGUs are tasked to implement laws and programs that help ease disasters such as, for example, flooding like what happened last week during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng”. First and foremost, LGUs should comply with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003) and also start clearing waterways in their areas.
Heavy and continuous rainfall by “Paeng” caused massive on many parts of Panay Island. With climate change in our midst, more frequent typhoons are the new norm. But why do our flooding woes seem to worsen every time? A main reason is the non-compliance with our environmental laws. How many LGUs nationwide are complying with the solid waste management law? Others have yet to strictly and fully implement segregation of garbage at source, recycling and composting.
What our LGUs and concerned government agencies must do is to strictly implement the solid waste management law; undertake massive cleanup of esteros and canals; relocate settlers by the rivers; dredge rivers and other waterways and heavily penalize those who throw waste in rivers and lakes; and enforce an absolute “no tree cutting” policy in protected areas.
Disaster risk reduction is everybody’s business, and LGUs should lead this effort.
We have incessantly urged and reminded our LGUs and our citizens to work on preventing and mitigating disasters, such as floods, and not merely respond to their onslaught. We must learn from our experiences, practice enhanced disaster preparedness and response, and be proactive in reducing the risk of disasters.
