Bohol Disaster Summit reps

Sign risk-aware commitments

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 19 (PIA) – Inter-agency and multi sector representatives here signed the Statement of Commitment to a better integrated approach to disaster risk mitigation by “risk-aware” development planning, capital resource prioritization and inter-agency and muti-sectoral collaboration for a more resilient Bohol and rationalized rehabilitation and recovery.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, who led the signing of the Statement of Commitment, wrote “Resilience and Growth Begins with Action Now,” said the day-long summit should provide stakeholders a better understanding of hazards and risks, allow them to build back better, access other stakeholders and partners for fiscal and technical help and tap more donors for financing and leveraging towards disaster recovery.

The signing of Statement of Commitment highlights the Bohol Resiliency Summit, which was a collaborative project by the Provincial Government of Bohol, World Bank, the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and the Holy Name University.

In the statement of commitment, Boholanos said they recognize that the most effective way to reduce the impact of disaster is investing in boosting communities’ resilience by enhancing the collective ability to prepare and plan to absorb and recover as well as adapt to adverse events.

On this, they said they would commit to adopt actions from reactive to more proactive approaches to disasters where communities can join-in, in enhancing resilience to reduce massive burdens and losses.

Boholanos also committed to use science-based public and private partnerships, hone LGU capacities with evidence-informed risk governance and launch more joint resiliency programs.

The Summit also came at a time when Bohol as well as Region 7 staggered to rise again at the wake of massive destruction brought by typhoon Odette.

Sitting on a high vulnerability perch with multiple natural hazards like earthquakes, storm surges, tsunamis, flooding, tropical cyclones, landslides and drought owing to its being an island, Bohol has been sprawled and crippled by major disasters, even counting only the last decade.

While getting hit by disasters one after another, Boholanos have also toughened their resiliency and guided by the government’s Build Back Better, still some things need to be integrated in the development planning.

The Summit, with a bank of experts in Hazards and risks like Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Renato Solidum, geohazard mapping in Armando Malicse, Extreme Weather events and its future as delivered by the Office of the Civil Defense and mainstreaming climate science into development planning with Dr ma. Laurice Jamero, presented to Boholano stakeholders the hazards and risks as well as assessment and implementation planning.

The Summit also brought Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery Framework best practices with Dolores Molintas of the National Economic Development Authority, as well as Bohol’s Post Odette Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan, stakeholders see how communities can insulate themselves from the risks of disasters.

There was also an overview on the role of stakeholders in disaster recovery and strengthening private sector engagement by PDRF’s Rene Melly.

Atty Leslie Cordero, who used to be a presidential adviser and a bureaucrat, also talked about leveraging on Development Partner’s initiatives, while an NGO doing community level relief effort talked about opportunities for communities to seek help. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

THE NDRRMC, INTERNATIONAL DONORS CONVERGE in Bohol for the Bohol Resiliency Summit, which explained to stakeholders what are the risks they are taking by living in a place tagged for disaster. Now, with this awareness, the Summit would suggest better planning and eover engineering to mitigate the effects. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

IATF urges Bohol to vaccinate

80% senior citizens population

BELLEVUE Hotel Panglao, Bohol, March 18 (PIA) –The dream for Bohol to step into the new normal still hinges on its vaccine accomplishment, most especially in reaching out to its senior citizens.

National Task Force vice chief implementer Secretary Vivencio Dizon and the Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque emphasized this during the recent BIDA Tungo sa New Normal Roadshow March 18 at the Pavilion of the Bellevue, here.

Set as an official visit of the Coordinate Operations to Defeat the Epidemic (CODE) Team, the Roadshow also affords local officials, municipal leaders as well as industry representatives the chance to meet the National Task Force and be briefed on the steps needed for Bohol to transition into Alert Level 1 and ultimately to Alert Level Zero.

Bohol is still under COVID Alert level 2 and may linger there until the vaccination accomplishment improves and the active cases continue to plummet to very manageable levels.

According to Governor Arthur Yap, in his report to the NTF and the local industry stakeholders including business, tourism and the academe, Bohol has reached 60.75 % vaccination accomplishment as of March 15, 2022.

By this, some 871,970 Boholanos have received the full doses of the vaccines against COVID, while some 670,680 Boholanos received the first dose and could be getting their second doses anytime.

However, the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said that some 1,106,082 of the 1,394,329 Boholanos have to get their full vaccination for Bohol to attain the target vaccinating at least 70% of the total population.

Still short of 102,278 Boholanos who must have been fully protected against the fatal coronavirus disease with the vaccines by now, the national Inter-Agency Task Force impressed upon local officials and health authorities to strive to ramp up on the vaccination.

The NIATF particularly asked local leaders and municipal stakeholders to get to the A2 priority group.

A2, of the senior citizens have been the most vulnerable to death once they get COVID, according to data gathered by the DOH from hospitals all over the country.

If we fail to get to them, they will fill our emergency rooms and bring our hospitals to critical capacity again and believe me, many will die, Sec Dizon elaborated.

Boholanos who have been hit not just by the pandemic, but also with the super-typhoon that wrought Bohol’s dream of stepping into anew normal faster.

With the numbers of active new cases already down to manageable levels, tourism and business industry leaders want the government to already lower the local Alert Level, so they can already operate on full steam.

But the DOH and the NIATF said the decision to deescalate Bohol’s alert level would come from many recommendations, and not just from the DOH and the NIATF. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

GETTING PEOPLE VACCINATED is much better and easier than taking care of people who get sick and use up all available beds in the province’s already overburdened capacities. Offer incentive, NTF Vice Chair Vivencio Dizon, at the Bellevue.