DISASTER RESILIENCE MONTH

BALDRRMO to join in ‘Resilience

Run, Bohol Unity Ride on July 15

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 12 (PIA)—To bring their appeal to get their hazard pay of the risky work they are rendering to communities, the local association of disaster and risk reduction management officers (LDRRMO) in Bohol urges supporters to join them in for their Resilience Run and Unity Ride set on Monday, July 15.

This is according to the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management (PDRRM) Officer Dr. Anthony Damalerio, PDRRM Council action officer and head of Bohol’s premier disaster and medical rescue team: Tarsier 117.

“Beginning at 5:00 AM on Monday, the Bohol Association of Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Officers (BALDRREMO) is holding and disaster workers are joining in the Resilience Run at the old airport and a Unity Ride later,“ Damalerio said, during the recent Kapihan sa PIA on the PDRRM activities for the Disaster Resilience Month in July.

Later in the day, the town disaster and rescue workers would be joining a round Bohol Unity Ride, parading their rescue and response assets, in a show of force for the senate to reconsider and act on the shelved version of the Magna Carta for Disaster workers,

It may be recalled that the House of Representatives has passed House Bill 7778 or the Magna Carta of Disaster and Risk Reduction management Workers, while the Senate is till to pass their version of the act.

In the House version of the Magna Carta for DRRM workers, the country intends to uphold the individual rights to life and property by addressing the root causes of vulnerability to disasters.

It also calls on local government units and communities to work for disaster and risk reduction and management by building community resilience against disasters and even the effects of climate change.

To do this, the country relies on its army of public disaster officers who work for disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and rehabilitation and recovery.

These could be civilians engaged in permanent or temporary positions as long as their actual line of work involves the performance of the above functions.

In these tasks, DRM members may be exposed to low risks, and high risk disaster risk reduction management functions that imperil their lives in search and rescue, retrieval and management of the dead and the missing, quick damage needs assessment, post disaster needs assessment and pandemic response operations.

“If health workers can get their hazard pay, I think disaster workers also deserve that,” Damalerio aired at the radio forum streamed live from PIA Bohol facebook and you tube channels and DyTR on Friday afternoons.

On holding the event, Damalerio said they want the move to get a bit of traction for the senate version, while he expects the town DRRMs to bring their position papers so these could be consolidated for the national government to take a second hand look into.

In the Magna Carta, it talked about the DRRM workers normal 8 hours of work schedules, an on call status rate, overtime work rates, work on rest day rates, night shift differential, additional compensations and hazards allowance. (PIABohol)

WORTH SUPPORTING. They have been the most trusted partners in disaster and rescue and like their medical and health worker counterparts who have hazard pays, Disaster officers who also expose their lives in danger during disasters and calamities do not get what they deserve, explained PDRRMO Dr Anthony Damalerio. (PIABhol)