Molave
is a first class municipality with a population of 48,215 people. It is the agro-industrial hub of the entire
Salug Valley area and the fastest
growing municipality in the first district of Zamboanga del Sur.
Likened
to a tree with the same name – Molave, described as hard, strong and resilient
aptly portrays the municipality that withstood numerous flashfloods which hit
this progressive neighborhood.
Creation
of the MDRRMC/LGU support
With
the leadership of Mayor Ireneo Q. Glepa, the implementation of a proactive
disaster risk reduction program was conceptualized based on five pillars which prioritized disaster risk
reduction; improving risk information and early warning; building a culture of
safety and resiliency among vulnerable communities; reducing the risks of key
sectors and lastly; timely and effective response mechanism.
“Our
Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC) Operation Center
is very functional and we do our best to be effective and efficient. We have a
responsible management system in order to address the needs of our constituents
during actual calamities especially during flashfloods of which Molave is prone
to,” Mayor Glepa quoted.
Funds
for the Operation Center come from the 70% calamity fund allocation of the LGU.
Disaster
preparedness and response programs
Molave has 9 barangays which are flood-prone:
Maloloy-on, Culo, Madasigon, Makugihon, Blancia, Dipolo, Sudlon, Meliga and
Rizal.
Jerry
Gene Delos Santos, head of the Operation Center said the creation of the Molave
Emergency Response Team (MERT) was necessary to pool manpower who will answer
the call during emergency situations. Capacity building activities were
conducted to teach them First Aid, Basic Life Support and CPR, Water Search and
rescue, Rubber Boat Handling and Bomb Detection in partnership with the Office
of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Philippine Coast Guard
(PCG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Earthquake
drills in different schools as well as monthly water search and rescue
exercises are done regularly. Rescue operations are not limited only during
flooding incidents but also in cases of fire, vehicular and other accidents.
It
can be recalled that during the Tapatan sa DILG which was held in Zamboanga
City on June 19, 2012, Mayor Glepa presented the Municipal Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Program of the municipality in the presence of then DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, citing
Molave as an ideal DRRMC and recognizing its laudable efforts in disaster
preparedness.
OCD
Regional Director Adriano Fuego also lauded Molave for its best practices in
disaster risk reduction program implementation.
Community Involvement
With
the collaborative effort and support of the MDRRMC, local officials, NGOs, POs
and our constituents work together towards disaster risk mitigation, an
endeavor which is in consonance with the undertaking made by the provincial and
national government.
Mayor
Glepa said, “I would like to recognize the efforts of the Emergency Response
Teams (ERT) both the municipal and barangay Teams who have been instrumental
for the immediate and appropriate action taken during actual calamities in our
locality.”
The
Molave Emergency Response Team (MERT) is composed of 32 volunteer/members from
different barangays which is divided into teams. The group has chosen Mr. Allan
Gary Villarante as their president and they are on the job 24/7, with duty
shifting every four hours.
Early
Warning System
Early
warning devices and equipments such as the automated weather station, automated
rain gauge and river level gauge have been installed to monitor water level.
Another
powerful tool of the operation center is the 300 watt-FM Station, DXMR which gives advisory during floods where all
radios are tuned in for updates and other important announcements.
Molave
has also embarked on tree-planting activities and established the municipal
forest nursery as a long term solution to flooding and to mitigate the effects
of climate change.
“We
may not be fully equipped to combat disaster but response mechanisms are in
place to prevent the loss of lives and damage to property, which is a laudable
collaborative effort of all sectors of the community. Together, we can weather
all storms of life,” Mayor Glepa concluded.
(ALT/PIA9-Zambo Sur)