ILOILO City – The people of the island province of Guimaras were reminded of the importance of disaster risk management, resiliency, and preparedness as the country observes National Disaster Resilience Month this July.
Gov. JC Rahman Nava, during the province’s kick off celebration on Tuesday, July 4, emphasized this to Guimarasnons since the Philippines is constantly hit by typhoons and is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where there are active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
He added that there is the constant threat of climate change and man-made disasters.
Disaster preparedness, Nava said, should not only be practiced every month of July because one should always be prepared for any calamity at all times.
“Ang kaundan is to remind us on a yearly basis nga ang preparasyon ta indi lang sa panahon nga nagaselebrar kita sang sini nga National Disaster Resilience Month but rather tinguhaon ta gid nga preparado kita,” Nava said.
The local chief executive said calamities not only cause destruction to infrastructure, death, or physical injury but can also severely impact the economy.
He encouraged all stakeholders to do their share for a disaster-resilient Guimaras.
“I hope nga ang ini nga bulan nga kita naga-obserbar sang National Disaster Resilience Month, remind us of the things to do on a day-to-day basis para mangin isa ka sosyodad kita nga disaster resilient,” the governor added.
Different government agencies and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils of the five municipalities in Guimaras participated in the kick off activity.
During the program, the provincial government, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, also turned over one chainsaw unit to the Bureau of Fire Protection and a first aid kit to the 606 Community Defense Center of the Philippine Army.
Another activity lined up for the observance is the “Rescuelympics” scheduled for July 28.
This year’s celebration theme is “BIDAng Pilipino: Building a Stronger Filipino Well-Being towards Disaster Resilience”. (PIA6 Iloilo/Guimaras PIO)/PN
