Cebu LGUs’ blueprint for disaster management

CEBU CITY – Cebu province’s 51 local government units (LGUs) will have their own disaster risk reduction managementclimate change adaptation (DRRM-CCA) plans before the end of this year, an official said.

DRRM-CCA project consultant Aloysius Mariae Cañete said the blueprint has been prepared for the joint venture mainstreaming project for the LGUs.

Cañete, of A2D Project, said every LGU will draw up its own disaster management plan.

DRRM-CCA is a worldwide collaborative effort of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in reducing the vulnerability of communities and contributing to sustainable development.

Cañete said the project will be the first aligned and harmonized undertaking that is actually being done in the country, adding that they will use all available maps that are accessible and easy to understand.

Mae Elizabeth Ybañez, of Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said Cebu is the first province to have a GIS (geographic information system) supported raw database maps, currently with the Provincial Planning and Development Office through an Australian grant.

GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking and displaying data related to positions on the earth surface.

Because of the large area of Cebu, Canete said the province will be divided into five clusters: north, mid-north, central, mid-south and south.

Each cluster has a specified LGU venue for training like Bogo City, Tuburan, Mandaue City, Moalboal and Boljoon, he said.

Angela Tiangco, of Berkman International, said most of the other provinces simply integrated their DRRM plan with the comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) plan and tourism plan. (PNA)