MANILA (PIA)
— The Philippines kicked
off its National Disaster
Resilience Month (NDRM)
observance in July with
month-long activities
themed, “BIDAng Pilipino:
Building a Stronger Filipino Well-Being towards
Disaster Resilience.”
The observance
is being spearheaded by
the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
and the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD). Various
activities are held throughout the month to promote
disaster resilience and
risk reduction all over the
country.
The NDRM kick
off activity started with a
simultaneous “Run For
Resilience” on Saturday,
July 1, in all the regions.
In Central Visayas, the Philippine Red
Cross (PRC) on Sunday
extended a total of P1 billion worth of humanitarian
assistance in Cebu. This
includes the construction
of 8,741 houses, repair of
1,263 houses, livelihood
assistance to 8,854 families, cash assistance to
12,517 families, distribution of P2 million worth of
food items to 21,789 families, and livelihood assistance for 500 families in
the towns of Alcoy, Badian, and Alegria.
“Importante ang
mga Cebuano sa PRC,
ug kanako. Ang tabang
sa PRC nagpakita sa
atong bug-os nga suporta
sa pagbangon sa atong
mga katagilungsod nga
naapektuhan sa nagkadaiyang katalagman (Cebuanos are important to
me and to PRC. The assistance that PRC continues to extend to Cebu only
shows our commitment to
help the families affected
by disasters),” PRC Chairperson and CEO Richard
“Dick” Gordon said.
“Our priorities in
the recovery phase must
be redirected towards
making communities resilient and adaptable to
hazards, especially as we
observe the Disaster Resilience Month this July,”
he added.
Gordon assured
that the organization will
continue to provide help
and support for Cebuanos
in the areas of response,
relief, recovery, and rehabilitation. He added that
the construction of a full
shelter for 70 households
in Brgy. Poblacion, Alegria,
Cebu is ongoing, and that
one local government unit
in Cebu has pledged to
donate 1,000 square meters of land to support the
organization’s expansion
program.
Philippine Red
Cross Chairperson and
CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon answers questions
from the Cebu media
during a press conference
in Cebu City held July
1, 2023. Photo courtesy
of Philippine Red Cross
Facebook page
He emphasized
the importance of continuity for their projects as
a key to empowering the
affected families to recover from the effects of the
disasters. He said that
the PRC’s priorities in the
recovery phase must be
redirected towards making
communities resilient and
adaptable to hazards, especially as the Philippines
observes Disaster Resilience Month this July.
The PRC has
been conducting community disaster risk reduction
efforts, sustainable and resilient pro-poor water supply programs, Haiyan-related recovery projects,
and different livelihood
programs. These initiatives are aimed at helping communities become
more prepared for and resilient to future disasters.
In Western Visayas, the
NDRM officially kicked off
with a series of activities in
Bacolod City.
These include a
Regional Poster Making
and Quiz Bee contests
for Elementary and High
School Learners, and a
2023 DRRM Expo which
showcased the response
capabilities of selected local DRRM offices as well
as the uniformed agencies, and volunteer and
private groups in Negros
Occidental.
