By Alfonso T. Ruda
Dipolog City - The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (PDRRMC) is slated to conduct tsunami and earthquake drills
in all coastal barangays in Zamboanga del Norte this year.
Ryne
Bustillo, PDDRMC planning officer-designate, said this year’s activities aim to
keep the people aware and prepared against any untoward incident.
“We
started this advocacy campaign last October and have already conducted
symposiums and drills in all barangays of Jose Dalman and in barangays
Silinog,Taguilon, Canlocani, Tag-ulo, Ginputlan,Baylimango, Banbanan, Carang
of Dapitan City,” Bustillo said.
Earlier
Governor Roberto Y. Uy had asked the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to grant him
authority to apply for a P500-million loan with Land Bank of the Philippines
(LBP) to augment the disaster preparedness capabilities of the province.
During
the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Vice Governor Senen O.
Angeles explained to the board members the importance of securing the loan, as
he reminded them of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City
in November 2013.
With
the new climatic condition, Angeles said, everyone has to be prepared and
equipped to face man-induced or natural calamities that may hit the province
more especially that Mindanao has now become an entry point of typhoons.
The
proceeds of the loan will be used for the purchase light and heavy equipment
and for the construction of bridges, water facilities and covered courts which
will be used as evacuation centers.
In
the meantime, Board Member Crisologo A. Decierdo has moved to refer the
governor’s letter request to the committee on finance for further study, as the
province has still an outstanding loan with the said bank.
