By EUGENE ADIONG
SIPALAY City — Eleven local government units (LGUs) in Negros Island formed the Southern Negros Disaster Management Alliance (Sonedma).
A memorandum of agreement on the new organization was signed at the New Government Center here yesterday.
Sonedma aims to unify actions among member-local governments in preparing for and coping with natural disasters.
But only nine mayors representing the member-LGUs signed the agreement yesterday: Isidro Zayco of Kabankalan City, Agustin Ernesto Bascon of Himamaylan City, Oscar Montilla of Sipalay City, Ceciro Borromeo of Candoni town and John Rey Tabujara of Cauayan from Negros Occidental, and German Sarana Jr. of Bayawan City, Beda Canamaque of Basay, Nathaniel Electona of Santa Catalina and Alberto Ator of Siaton from Negros Oriental.
Ernesto Estrao of Hinobaan and Genaro Rafael Alvarez of Ilog, both from Negros Occidental, will sign at a later date.
The agreement is in compliance with Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
It said the LGUs “recognize that, by pooling their resources and creating an alliance, their respective constituents will have a better way of preventing, facing and handling any calamity/disaster.”
Under the agreement, the members shall “allocate 10 percent of 70 percent of their [respective] annual local disaster risk reduction and management funds as contribution to a common fund, which shall be deposited as a trust fund and exclusively used for common disaster risk management programs.”
Sarana, the unanimously elected alliance chair, said Sonedma will be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Sonedma will deal with not only climate change but also the local economies,” which are directly affected by calamities, he said.
Montilla was elected vice chair; Zayco, chair for planning; Ator, chair for finance; and Bascon, chair for logistics./PN
