CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – As the year 2019 is about to end, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) highlights its best practices that molded and strengthened the resiliency of the Kapampangans in times of disaster.
This holds true as the PDRRMC showcased its best practices on Tuesday during the “Briefing on Barangay DRRM Practices and updates for barangay officials” at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center, attended by 5,050 barangay officials from the different municipalities of Pampanga.
One of the programs highlighted during the event was PDRRMC’s DisasTOUR, a program that aims to give local and foreign tourists the chance to explore historical places and present disaster-related facilities in the province.
The DisasTOUR features a six-stop itinerary tour, including places like: The Provincial Disaster Resiliency Complex in San Fernando City; Permanent Disaster Center in Magalang; Diaspora Farm Resort in Bacolor; San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor; Bamboo Hub in Lubao; and Bangkung Malapad in Sasmuan.
PDRRMO Chief Angelina Blanco said, “the inspiration behind the project is to showcase the resiliency of Kapampangans in times of disaster and calamities.”
This year, PDRRMO also launched its new and improved house tagging system for the priority population which helped reduce the impact of hazards and increase resilience among citizens living in the high-risk coastal areas.
Unlike before, in the new house tagging system, residents are now given ‘Priority House Tag Plates’ instead of stickers which will serve as guides for rescuers during evacuation.
Meanwhile, to prepare Pampanga from future disasters and calamities, Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan also funded building facilities like the state-of-the-art PDRRMC Command and Control Center and Operations Center Building (24/7) both located at the PEO Compound, in this city.
“Once furniture and fixtures were already done, we can immediately use our command and operations centers for disaster monitoring by January,” Blanco said.
According to Blanco, all these projects and programs wouldn’t be possible without the trust given by the governor and support of the barangay officials.
For his part, Renato Mutuc, liga ng mga barangay president and village chief of Balucuc, assured the full support of the barangay officials.
“We will continue to cascade all these projects and programs in the barangay level, to assure immediate and timely response for the Kapampangans,” Mutuc expressed.