• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than 100 Disaster Risk Reduction Management officers of the newly created Negros Island Region yesterday gathered at the Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center in Negros Occidental to share their respective best practices, and discuss ways to make disaster response and efforts more responsive and effective, under the new region.
Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez yesterday said he was very excited for the summit, since it was the first regional activity under the NIR.
As he lauded the Alliance of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers of Negros Island Inc (ADDRMONI) for choosing Victorias City to be the venue, Benitez said the “summit benchmarks a strong and united NIR in building more disaster-resilient Filipino communities.”
We are here, empowered by our collective determination to build a more resilient future, a future where our communities cannot only weather the storms, but emerge stronger, said Benitez in his speech.
We gathered today, not only for camaraderie, unity and fellowship, but to talk about what we need, being a region, for our disaster risk reduction practices to be strong, the mayor also stressed.
Benitez also committed to implementing measures to proactively mitigate risks and prepare for the inevitable. This is why, he added, the Victorias City government invested much in prevention, because preparedness is always paramount.
The P55 million state-of-the-art Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center, which was inaugurated last year by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, is now operational, for efficient monitoring and swift emergency response.
“I believe with strong alliance and collaboration in our Region, we can all achieve so much in our respective cities and municipalities,” Benitez said, as he further stressed that the safety and welfare of Negros Island, Siquijor residents, security of its economies, depend on their collective action as a new region.
Let us move forward, united in one purpose, to build a future where disaster risk reduction and management is not just a policy, but a way of life, the mayor pointed out.
Benitez added “Let us transform vulnerability into strength, despair into hope, and build a Negros-Siquijor Island Region that can stand against any calamity, storm, or disaster.”
The whole day DRRM summit was also attended by former Office of the Civil Defense NIR regional director Blance Gobenciong, Fatima Daiz, former DILG regional director of NIR, Alet Nogra of OCD 6, representatives of OCD 7, Negros Oriental DRRM Adrian Sedillo, ADRRMONI president Jose Yusay, among others.*
