“There have already been many natural disasters that happened in Cagayan de Oro but these were not considered as disasters because they have very little impact to the city, unlike tropical storm Washi,” said Margareta Wahlstrom, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s special representative on DRR.
Washi, locally named Sendong, left at least 1,257 persons dead and at least 1,100 missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
For residents, only Washi and the flashflood of January 4, 2009, which according to the weather bureau was brought about by the tail-end of a cold front, are considered disasters.
No DRR plan/programme
Since the city has been naturally shielded against typhoons and storms, the city government has not seen it as of utmost importance to have a DRR plan/programme despite the fact that the Philippines approved Republic Act 10121 on May 27, 2010. The city also lacks a Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO).
RA 10121 or An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System clearly states in Section 12(a) that “there shall be established an LDRRMO in every province, city and municipality, and a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC) in every barangay which shall be responsible for setting the direction, development, implementation and coordination of disaster risk management programs within their territorial jurisdiction.”
Among the many functions of the LDRRMO is “(13) Develop, strengthen and operationalise mechanisms for partnership or networking with the private sector, CSOs, and volunteer groups.” But it is always the CSOs and the Church, led by the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, that always engage the city government — which invitation is often left unanswered — for whatever programme and plans to protect the local environment.
As if adding salt to injury, the City Council — which is under the beck and call of the city mayor — passed City Ordinance No. 12217-2011 approving and adopting a program under the P84.716-million City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (CDRRMF) or the Calamity Fund of 2011 only on December 13, 2011 or a mere 3 days before Washi paid a call to the city.
The city’s utter lack of DRR plan/programme has been one of the many reasons environmentally-aware residents are lambasting the city government and have initiated moves for the recall of the city’s top government official.
“If only the city has a Disaster Risk Reduction plan or programme in place, the death toll could have been not that many,” said a member of the local multi-sectoral relief operations on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
UNISDR chief praises local relief operations
It is with this backdrop that the UNISDR officials arrived in the city on Wednesday afternoon.
In a briefing at the Archbishop’s House, attended by representatives of CSOs, Church, academe, government agencies and local government unit and the media, Wahlstrom pointed out that DRR plan/programme is of utmost importance in every locality.
She also praised the local multi-sectoral relief operations — co-chaired by the regional office of the Social Welfare department and Jesuit-run Xavier University — for doing all that it can and in providing the leadership in aiding the survivors.
The relief operations centre, however, sorely lack the ability to capacitate the survivors. Its data on the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to the storm is incomplete.
“Capacity building is one big challenge for us and the lack of data on the exact number of IDPs (internally displaced persons), which the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and the DSWD are trying to gather to help us in our efforts,” said Ermin Stan Pimentel, co-chair of the multi-sectoral relief operations.
Despite the challenges facing the local relief operations, the UNISDR chief was all praises for it. She also pointed out two “lessons” that can be learned from the tragedy.
Wahlstrom said that the city should install “early warning systems” to alert the city residents on an impending calamity. “More must be done to ensure early warning systems are in place and effective in an age when climate change is intensifying the impact of typhoons.”
She also stressed that educating the people on disasters and climate change and their effect is of utmost importance so “they understand the risk they run when they refuse to heed warnings and do not evacuate on time.” (Bong D. Fabe/CBCPNews)
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