Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Plan Approval

Members of Rosario’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (MDRRMC) signed and approved our Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Plan (MDRRMP) during a meeting Monday afternoon. The council, chaired by the Municipal Mayor, includes all municipal department heads, the Chief of Police, the highest-ranking officer of the locally assigned armed forces platoon, the local parish priest, and other vital members of the community.

Our office reached a milestone on Monday, becoming the first municipality in the Province of Northern Samar, out of 24 municipalities, to draft and approve a Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Plan (MDRRMP). This dearth of planning is in spite of the requirement from the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council, through Republic Act 10121 approved in 2010, which requires every municipality in the Philippines to develop their own MDRRMP by the year 2013.

Prior to the plan’s signing, Bobi and I delivered a presentation highlighting the key components of the plan. I was particularly intent upon explaining technical recommendations for risk reduction and proposals requiring significant budget allocation.

This plan is the culmination of all of the work that Bobi and I have been doing together over my 5-month term of service. It is intended to address the four thematic areas of DRRM at the municipal level, namely; 1) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 2) Disaster Preparedness, 3) Disaster Response, and 4) Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery.

In order to provide a quick overview of our plan, the following are highlights from our presentation delivered in Monday’s meeting: