Chatto tells visiting MMDRRMC:

No substitute for preparedness

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, August 6 (PIA)—“There is no substitute for preparedness.”

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto reminded this to the members of the Metro Manila Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Councils (MMDRRMC), who came to Cebu and Bohol to learn of the systems that were in place that contributed to the fast post disaster response and relief operations after the triple calamities that hit the region between 2013 to 2014.

While the earthquake of 2013 was a disaster of great magnitude for Bohol, Gov Chatto admitted there were several opportunities of learning from it.

Meeting the MMDRRMC on a slightly different circumstance, the governor offered some programs which contribute to the quick response in Bohol.

A day after the strong earthquake that hit Bohol in 2013, a team from the MMRDDMC arrived in Bohol to help the province conduct rescue, retrieval and relief operations.

The MMDRRMC, composed of the 16 cities and the lone municipality of Pateros, in the greater Metro manila Region, along with the Office of the Civil Defense, the Department of Interior and Local Government and other key government disaster response and relief agencies came on a learning visit to find best practices in the local governments of Cebu City and Province as well as Tagbilaran City and Bohol province.

The move to learn is prompted by the intent of putting in place the systems that would help Metro Manila cope with the impending threat of a potentially devastating earthquake rooted from the West Marikina Valley Fault.

Also called the Big One, the earthquake when it would happen, has been forecast to cause a lot of lives and damage to the country’s most populated region.

And to mitigate its impacts to human lives and built infrastructure in Metro Manila, local councils have been conducting earthquake drills and retrofitting their built-infrastructure so it could stand a better chance against the huge tremblor, if it comes.

Apart from the preparations, the MMDRRMC team led by Metro Manila Development Authority Amante Salvador, Office of the Civil Defense National Capital Region Shelby Cruz, and DILG NCR Elsi Castillo came to Bohol on their second and third day of visit in the Visayas to pick on local response measures and best practices.

While the MMDRRMC team represented by the MMDA immediately arrived in Bohol a day after the October 15 2013 7.2 magnitude earthquake, the team saw how fast and organized their deployment with a local disaster emergency team was.

The MMDRRMC also reported to their counterparts in Manila the efficiency and acquired skill of Bohol’s Telephone and Radio Systems Integrated Emergency Response 117, or TaRSIER in their quick response.

According to the governor, a huge help in the quick disaster response the clustering approach in the local development planning and the establishment of the TaRSIER 117 a month before the earthquake.

He said that time, TaRSIER has completed a standardized training module and eight teams have been going around Bohol to conduct disaster response training.

The TaRSIER 117, already present in town clusters centered in Ubay, Jagna, Tagbilaran and other expansion areas like Carmen and Loon, is fast becoming as a byword in emergency response in Bohol and it sits well with investors, he beamed to the visiting team gathered inside the Governor’s Mansion August 4.

But, the governor added, even with the TaRSIER, it would not have been just as efficient of not the setting up of the purok system.

Born for the inherent bayanihan spirit which is still evident in Bohol as also manifested during its tough times, the Purok Power Movement rose as a systemic mechanism to hail and set up the government’s channel of services to the grassroots.

The bayanihan spirit was the foundation, claimed the governor who is also tagged for bringing the PPM as a potent tool against local insurgency.

With Bohol, it worked, meaning the PPM and bayanihan, but he reminded the visitors: it might not work in a metropolis.

The PPM, he claimed has mobilized a channel that could easily accept government help, start local discussions and gather feedback to evaluate effectiveness of programs.

Earning praises for the orchestrated disaster response and the quick rehabilitation in Bohol, the governor, who also served as a congressional representative that most of this, he credits to the Boholanos.

Over attempts to replicate everything Bhol did for a Manila response, Chatto commented: “Do not attempt to copy the whole thing.”

“Every place has a different experience, you may copy some of the parts,” but advised further: “find different modalities that suit your needs, and work on it.”

As always, the governor emphasized, it is always better to have something to work on.

Over-all, MMDRRMC believes copying and replicating some of the best practices in Bohol, Cebu and Tagbilaran City would greatly enhance knowledge and putting in place the right preparations that suit the communities.

For an eventuality of the Big One, Bohol’s TaRSIER has been tapped for rescue, relief in the north quadrant and based at the operations Center to be set up at the Philippine Veterans Hospital.

And like a brother, Bohol has also committed to be there for any LGU that needs help, sending aid and men like it did with Tacloban. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

MIRRORING. Governor Edgar Chatto is seen in the mirror as he shared Bohol’s earthquake response during a learning visit by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to help them prepare better for the eventuality of the Big One.  Metro Manila disaster team intends to mirror some of Bohol’s best practices in rescue, response and rehabilitation. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)