by Vincent Bautista
MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA)–The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC)-Misamis Oriental (MisOr) held its first quarter meeting of the year to lay out its proposed supplemental programs for 2023 at the Provincial Training Center, Capitol Compound, February 22.
“Last December, after we experienced a weather condition formerly known as the tail-end of a cold front, one cannot help but wonder that this is the real effect of climate change, and hence we as a council must be more proactive in addressing such situations,” Misamis Oriental Provincial DRRM Officer Fernando Vincent Dy, Jr. said.
The PDRMMC-MisOr intends to spend P40 million on a unified command center system to coordinate the efforts of all local government units in disaster mitigation and response, according to their Provincial DRRM Fund Supplemental Annual Investment Plan.
A planned acquisition of three repeater highway communication systems, each costing around P30 million, was also proposed to extend transmissions regardless of obstructions and bolster communication signals during disasters in Misamis Oriental’s 1st and 2nd districts and the province of Camiguin.
Further, a local climate action plan formulation workshop, the conduct of a quarterly, emergency, and/or special provincial DRRM council meeting, and the conduct of bi-quarterly PDRRMC-Technical Working Group meetings were discussed in line with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Regional Risk-Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) Joint Memorandum Circular 2013-1.
Strengthening public-private partnerships against disasters
A move to strengthen partnerships with private sector stakeholders was also made, such as STEAG and the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce, to protect the economic activity and energy infrastructure of the province.
“All expenditures for all local government units’ DRRM fund must be found in its annual investment plan and DRRM plan to assure conscientious, efficient, and effective utilization of funds that will trickle down to mitigate the unnecessary loss of lives and properties in the event of emergencies, calamities, or disasters,” Dy said. (VPSB/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)
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