By Mar Serrano/Philippine News Agency
LEGAZPI CITY — A 16-man delegation from Bangladesh led by Saima Hossain, the daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, arrived here on Wednesday for a two-day visit in Albay to learn the best practices of the province in the implementation of its disaster, social and health management programs.
Hossain and her group were briefed on disaster risk reduction management in times of typhoons, volcanic eruptions and other natural calamities by Dr. Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety Emergency and Management Office (APSEMO).
Albay’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) is a consistent recipient of the country’s Gawad Kalasag Award for its preemptive disaster preparedness measures that help the province attain “zero-casualty” during calamities.
Jessehan Marbella-Aycocho, DSWD-Bicol spokesperson, said the group from Bangladesh was also lectured on the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor in the country.
Hossain, who is the chairperson of the National Advisory Committee of Autism and Neurodevelopment in Bangladesh, said she was impressed by the DSWD’s 4Ps program that is designed to break the cycle of poverty in the country, Aycocho said in an interview.
The group was also briefed by the National Nutrition Council on Bicol Region’s program on nutrition and its current campaign intervention to combat malnutrition and hunger.
On Thursday, the team will visit Guinobatan to discuss with local officials the town’s disaster management operation, as well as social and health programs.
After the meeting, the group will visit the Guinobatan West Evacuation Center, Barangay Maguiron Health Center and Barangay Muladbucad Grande Health Center.
Aycocho said as final study tour activity, the Bangladeshi group will also observed the best practices of the Bio-Intensive Gardening Program in the town’s 17 villages.
The said program is aimed at helping the community members to become self-reliant in producing vegetables for livelihood and at the same time fight malnutrition and hunger.
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