BARANGAY DISASTER COUNCILS 'SHOULD IDENTIFY WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM'

Villages encouraged to come up with own, best disaster alert system

For the proposed local alert system to be effective, the barangay disaster councils of the 80 barangays in Cebu City should identify what’s best for their community. Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said the barangay alarm system should be linked to the risks and hazards in the community. “An example is Barangay Sirao, which is a highrisk landslide-prone area. It boils down to the importance of an early warning system and it is needed to alert the residents,” he said. The City Council asked the Association of Barangay Councils to put up a barangay alert system that will use devices not limited to speakers and sirens.

To ensure the effectiveness of the proposed local alert system, the barangay disaster councils of the 80 villages in Cebu City should be the ones to identify what’s best for their community, an official said.

Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, explained that the barangay alarm system should be linked to the risks and hazards within the community.

“An example is Barangay Sirao, which is a high-risk, landslide-prone area. It boils down to the importance of an early warning system and it is needed to alert the residents,” he said.

In an approved resolution authored by Councilor Joy Pesquera, the City Council asked the Association of Barangay Councils to put up a barangay alert system that will use devices not limited to speakers and sirens.

Sought for comment, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will support any emergency measure as long as it will benefit the people. He, however, said the system must be formulated comprehensively.

Some thickly-populated urban barangays have already established their own warning systems even before the council passed a resolution on the matter.

Bañacia said that Barangays Pasil and Mambaling have installed sirens in their areas in case of fire.

The City Government, for its part, has also put up gauge marks on the dikes of rivers to warn nearby residents of a rise in water level during heavy downpour.

Bañacia said the City is also now working on connecting its seismograph to a gadget that will notify the people in times of strong earth movement.

He said the project is part of the City Command Control Center’s intensified measures for disaster preparedness. /