Ambassador Guy Ledoux commended the collaborative efforts of the local governments, NGOs, and the communities to help save lives and to lessen damages in times of disasters.
(Photo credit to Gregorio Dantes Jr.)
(This report was first published in Philippine Information Agency on 30 September 2012. Original article is located in this link.)
By Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu
SAINT BERNARD, Southern Leyte, Sept 30 (PIA) — Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines commended the collaborative efforts of the local governments, NGOs, and the communities to help save lives and to lessen damages in times of disasters.
The EU Ambassador made the pronouncement as guest speaker in the National Conference for Effective Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Practices on September 28 at Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte.
The Conference was participated by more than 100 disaster risk reduction practitioners from high–risk communities in Regions 2, 5, 12, CAR, and CARAGA targeted by the EU disaster preparedness program.
The Conference which aimed to enable participants to draw lessons from the exchange of experiences and best practices in disaster risk reduction was an initiative of the office of Senator Loren Legarda, Asia-Pacific Institute for Green Development, Local Government of Saint Bernard, CARE Nederlands, GIZ, and the European Union.
The Ambassador who has witnessed the progress in disaster risk reduction programs in Leyte said that the disaster risk reduction program was put to test during the recent 7.6 magnitude earthquake that recently hit Eastern Visayas.
The said earthquake triggered Phivolcs to raise tsunami alert 3 and 10 coastal barangays in Saint Bernard heeded the warning and were able to evacuate quickly in an orderly manner.
The evacuation was carried out according to the contingency plan drafted by the barangay and municipal LGUs in 2009.
"The Saint Bernard experience is a good example of how local communities with the support of civil society organisations and collaboration with local government authorities can spearhead collective action along disaster risk reduction," Ambassador Ledoux said.
"This was a very good illustration of the improved disaster risk reduction capacity of the local communities. The EU supports this kind of community-based disaster risk reduction and management,” he added.
The Ambassador said the European Union provided Saint Bernard at least P20 million (€384,000) in DRR funds across five years while the LGU contributed P2.6 million (€48,000) as their counterpart.
The EU contribution is on top of other equally significant inputs of other local and international NGOs to the municipal LGU.
The EU disaster preparedness programme aims at improving the capacities of at-risk communities to prepare for and protect themselves from natural disasters.
For 2012-2013, the EU has allocated PHP 130 millions for disaster preparedness actions in the Philippines. (PIA8)
(Photo credit to Gregorio Dantes Jr.)
