Philippines: Laguna government promotes disaster resilience in the communities
By Joy Gabrido
The Provincial Government of Laguna continuously conducts drills to strengthen the disaster preparedness of the province
“Simple lang ang napakagandang aral natin dito na sa panahon ng sakuna ang kailangan ay magtulong-tulong po tayo at ini-imagine natin ang ganitong sitwasyon dahil ito ay paghahanda (The lesson here is simple, that in times of disaster we need to help each other and we should imagine disaster situations as a form of preparation),” said Cabuyao City Mayor Mel Gecolea during the recent conduct of the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) program at the Pamantasan ng Cabuyao (PNC) in Cabuyao City.
He noted that many other countries face more frequent disasters than the Philippines and yet they have less casualties and damages because of their preparations.
To develop disaster resilience in the communities in the province, he said, is the direction the local and provincial government is taking.
“The very essence and objective why we are doing this ay dahil po gusto nating ipamulat sa kamalayan po ng bawat isa iyong paghahanda (The very essence and objective why we are doing this is because we want to educate everyone about preparedness)” said Board Member Ruth Mariano-Hernandez who was also present during the activity.
She expressed belief that panic causes chaos and the reason why people panic during calamities and disasters is due to lack of awareness on what should be done in times of emergency.
“What we are doing now ay naghahanda po tayo (para) alam po natin ang ating gagawin (at) saan tayo pupunta (What we are doing now is we prepare so that we know what to do and where to go).”
Mariano-Hernandez explained that they have also identified the number of families living near the fault lines who were also recipients of the survival kits provided by the provincial government during the event.
She urged the people who attended the event to take seriously the activities such as this that promote disaster preparedness.
“Ipagdasal na lamang natin na huwag mangyari itong Big One in our lifetime (Let us all pray that the Big One would never happen in our lifetime),” she said.
Meanwhile, Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez reminded his constituents during the program.
"Lahat po ng bayan dapat ay may kani-kaniyang paghahanda na ginagawa at hindi lamang bawat bayan kundi mula barangay paakyat sa bayan, probinsya hanggang sa national (All towns must have its respective preparedness measures; from the barangay up to the municipality, from provincial up to the national level),” he emphasized.
He said the barangays are the frontliners in times of inevitable disaster, the municipalities and cities will be the rescue, while the center of command is the provincial level.
“Importante po na mayroong mga equipment pero ang pinaka the best pa rin na equipped dapat tayo ay iyong knowledge, knowledge kung ano ang gagawin (It is important to have equipment but it is best when we are equipped with the right knowledge),” the Governor said.
He emphasized the importance of right knowledge on what actions to take when faced with earthquake and other disasters in the communities.
He also advised everyone to secure themselves first more than any material thing they value during emergency situations.
Continuous earthquake drill activities are being conducted in the province all year-round to reinforce disaster preparedness that will help develop the resiliency of all Lagunenses.