Bringing together all Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices from across the province, the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) will hold the first Iloilo Provincial DRRM Summit on July 31, 2024 at the Pototan Astrodome.
The summit is themed, “Together Towards Resilience: Empowering Iloilo for a Robust and Progressive Tomorrow,” and is aimed at showcasing the assets, resources, and capabilities of the Iloilo provincial government.
PDRRMO chief Cornelio Salinas said the summit will gather DRRM officers from the 42 municipalities and the city of Passi, emergency responders, and volunteer groups, among others.
It aims to enhance interoperability, sharing of DRRM resources and coordination among LDRRMOs in the province; showcase technological advancements in disaster management; and strengthen communication networks across all levels of LGUs through the distribution of communication devices and portable solar generating systems for emergency use.
“We want to establish a relationship among the 43 DRRMOs. Because they are those who help each other when it comes to natural and human-induced disasters,” Salinas said.
The summit is also a joint undertaking of the Iloilo provincial government and the municipality of Pototan.
Salinas said there is a national directive coming from the Office of Civil Defense that every year, there should be a DRRM summit in July.
The event will kick off with a caravan to showcase DRRM assets and capabilities. There will also be a display and exhibit by each district featuring the best practices of local government units.
The centrepiece of the summit is the conduct of a simultaneous Tree Parenting Activity by the 43 LGUs as part of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s flagship program “Tanum Iloilo.”
Salinas said this is the province’s way of preserving the natural environment which is destroyed during disasters. The tree parenting activity is one way of ensuring that the trees planted are well-nurtured.
“All these disasters and calamities happen because we take for granted our environment,” the PDRRMO chief said.
Other additional activities are exhibitions of DRRM equipment and technological innovations, government emergency communications system, mobile operations vehicle for emergency, and the unveiling of IEC materials.
(With reports from Sharaine Ghail T. Taaca/UPV intern)
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