ZAMBOANGA has topped other cities and municipalities in the “2019 Regional Disaster Preparedness Index” or RDPI, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government or DILG in Western Mindanao.
DILG said Zamboanga City and Dipolog City were ranked Number 1 in RDPI “Top Performing and Most Improved Local Government Units.”
The RDPI is developed locally by DILG to ascertain the level of preparedness of the local governments in Zamboanga Peninsula and provides a snapshot of their standing and performances.
DILG said the RDPI has categorized the local governments according to its level of disaster preparedness compliance – high, basic, partial and non-compliance – and those cities and municipalities rated with high compliance qualify for the top awards.
Just recently, Mayor Beng Climaco was invited to speak at the “2019 Top Leaders Forum” where she discussed Zamboanga’s human security and disaster resilience, citing the many challenges besetting the city and how the local government and the locals managed to overcome all these – from natural calamities to man-made disasters.
She joined top-level executives from both the private and public sectors at the forum – which aims to find concrete measures that would make businesses more resilient against disasters – organized by SM Prime Holdings, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, ARISE Philippines and the National Resilience Council (NRC).
Some of the speakers were USEC Ricardo Jalad, of the Office of Civil Defense; Congresswoman Lucy Gomez, Bataan Governor Albert Garcia, Cagayan De Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno, Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion, and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez. And also Unilever Philippines Chairman Benjie Yap, Maynilad Water Services CEO Ramoncito Fernandez, IBM Philippines President and Country General Manager Aileen Jiao, San Miguel Properties Inc. Project Lead Cecile Ang, Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director Gisela Tiongson, Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. COO Maribeth Marasigan, and Fr. Jet Villarin, Ateneo de Manila President.
Climaco said through the facilitation of the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office headed by Elmeir Apolinario, students from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University represented the local team for the “Young Leaders for Resilience Program” and presented their innovative solutions that can address the resilience challenges.
With the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Forging Pathways and Milestones,” the forum highlighted the private sector engagement with the small and medium enterprises to ensure the same level of preparedness for disasters; and for the NRC’s Adopt-A-City program to engage the private sector in a more innovative and strategic partnership for resilient local government systems; and engage the youth in co-creating solutions that will address the resilience challenges of NRC’s partner local governments. (Zamboanga Post)
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