By Priam Nepomuceno/PNA
MANILA — Efforts to create the country’s Department of Disaster Resilience is now gaining momentum, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday afternoon.
He made this pronouncement during the thanksgiving ceremony for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operation Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Citing that the Philippines has witnessed destructive calamities of all sorts in the recent years, Lorenzana stressed the need for the country to toughen up and put its best disaster risk reduction and management assets to work.
“The adverse effects of the changing climate patterns and extreme weather conditions are critical points in our nation’s security. Recall what happened to our country during the times of ‘Ondoy,’ ‘Yolanda’ and ‘Usman’,” the defense chief said in his speech.
Due to these calamities, Lorenzana said that they have been strongly advocating for the upgrading of the Office of the Civil Defense to the Department of Disaster Resilience.
“We are happy that it continues to gain ground. House Bill 8165 was already approved on third and final reading,” the defense chief added.
Lorenzana also expressed his thanks to the hardworking men and women of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Global Technologies Incorporated and the donor organizations, whose efforts made the NDRRMC Operations Center a reality.
Other private donors are the Exclusive Networks, which has supplied firewall, PLDT for the internet connectivity, CISCO for the sparkboard, Ragojos Heritage for the architectural design, HP Enterprise for the server, Inewvation for the videowall and Function Smith who has contributed partial furniture.
Other include the Advertising and Gaming Fabrication, Inc. for the lighted signage, Neo-Tech Asia for the closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs), Solid Video Corporation for the sound system, IECEP who has supported technical planning, consultancy, and services for electronics sheet, C4i Training Technology for the emergency disaster simulation software, and SM Foundation which donated the other fixtures.
“Allow me to commend the heads of agencies and organization leadership for contributing to the empowerment of our National DRRM Program. I believe this reflect your organizations’ sincere intention to truly take part in nation building,” he added.
