By Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The jail warden of the female dormitory of the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center has stressed the need for both the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) personnel and the inmates to be wary of looming natural disasters, which are noted to be more frequent in recent times.
Female Dormitory OIC-Warden Senior Jail Officer 3 Charlene Alonso emphasized that as climate change’s effects manifest, the need for urgent preparedness arises. “Nandito na ang mga calamities, at karamihan nito ay hindi man-made, kundi natural,” (calamities are becoming more frequent, and they are not man-made, but natural), Alonso told about sixty BJMP personnel and the female wards in a climate change forum conducted by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) at the female dormitory last Monday.
On the other hand, Jail Officer 3 Eugene Milanes said that in spite of being housed in the second floor of the reformatory center and relatively flood-safe, the inmates and personnel still need to be prepared for other calamities such as earthquakes and tsunamis. “We can never be over-confident and we must be prepared for any eventualities.”
During the short advocacy forum, PIA Information Center Manager Dave Malcampo emphasized that “we cannot stop the effects of climate change from manifesting,” adding that human beings themselves are mainly responsible. “But we can mitigate its effects to us, if only we are rightly prepared.”
A short documentary was shown to the participants about the causes of climate change, global warming, and disaster preparedness.
“Nakakatakot,” (scary) one of the female wards remarked while watching the documentary. She shared that she could almost feel what the people in the video felt during the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda.
The PIA here has been campaigning for climate change awareness and disaster preparedness to different barangays and sectors, including students, faculty, Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, parishes, men-in-uniform and others.
