BACOLOD City – July is the National Disaster Resilience Month.
In this capital city, the Sangguniang Panlungsod already tasked the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to set activities that will promote the significance of disaster resilience.
This year, the event is themed: “Katatagan sa Kalamidad ay Makakamtan Kapag Sapat ang Kaalaman sa Kahandaan.”
Executive Order 137 series of 1999 mandates the observance of the National Disaster Consciousness Month every July.
But on June 28 last year, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 29, which renamed the event as the National Disaster Resilience Month.
Councilor Cindy Rojas said the annual event aims to provide ample time for government agencies and local government units to implement their disaster awareness campaign comprehensively.
Rojas stressed that disaster resilience includes the implementation of effective risk management programs involving individuals, communities, organizations, and local government units.
Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, grants local governments the flexibility toward disaster mitigation, preparation, response, rehabilitation, and recovery.
Section 2 of the law also calls for the creation of a comprehensive National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan, which must develop “safer, adaptive and disaster-resilient” Filipino communities./PN
