Coloma urges PIOs to view geohazard maps on PIA website especially during typhoons‘use of geohazard maps critical in preventing loss of lives’ C
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, December 10 (PIA) – Secretary Sonny Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) urged public information officers (PIOs) to access the website of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) where the geohazard maps containing areas highly vulnerable to landslides and flooding per region to province are found.
By accessing the ‘geohazard maps,’ Coloma said the PIOs can significantly help in educating the people especially those living in danger zones what to do in case of imminent typhoons.
“In the upper right corner of the website is written ‘geohazard maps,’ which you can just click wherein you can also choose which region down to province you want to check on regarding the susceptibility of flooding and landslides,” Coloma said.
The PCOO chief, who was guest of honor during the Information Officers’ Year-end Conference and Awards 2012, showed before the more than 100 PIOs of various government agencies from Region 6 how to access the geohazard maps at the PIA website.
Coloma expressed sadness over the death toll of typhoon Pablo which was pegged at 647 as of this posting. Compostela Valley had the most number of deaths currently reported at 316 excluding those that are still missing.
“Compostela Valley is an accident waiting to happen as based on the geohazard map alone, it is a very critical area with high susceptibility of landslides,” bared Coloma.
The geohazard maps are color-coded to determine the susceptibility of an area to landslides or flooding. Red color refers to high susceptibility of which Compostela Valley was categorized, while green color refers to moderate susceptibility to landslides and yellow as low susceptibility to landslides.
Last Friday, President Aquino visited Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley that have been severely devastated by the recent typhoon, the strongest that hit the country for this year.
Coloma said if only the geohazard maps, provided by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was used, then no tragedy would have happened
“Even one life lost is too much,” cited Coloma of Aquino’s stand.
Coloma asked the PIOs to help educate the public on the usefulness of the geohazard maps to prevent casualties from happening not only during typhoons but eve during increment weather which could also trigger landslides. (PIA-7)
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Coloma reminds information's crucial role in disaster mitigation
By Ferliza C. Contratista
TALISAY CITY, Negros Occidental, Dec 10 (PIA) -- “Information plays a crucial role in disaster mitigation,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma during the government information officers year-end assembly attended by information officers from regions 6 and 7.
Coloma, who was the event’s keynote speaker, said the recent disastrous event brought by typhoon Pablo in the country was a valuable lesson on information and being informed.
Compostela Valley which was the hardest hit by Pablo in the Mindanao area, suffered with hundreds dead and hundreds missing, including scores injured and millions-worth of property damaged.
Coloma reminded the information officers that they have an obligation in terms of informing the public about facts and data; for Coloma, the most obvious carrier of critical data were the geohazard maps posted in the PIA website.
“Kayo Information Officers have you opened up the PIA website, all the geo hazard maps are there,” Sec. Coloma said.
Coloma said the Mines and Geo Sciences Bureau had declared that 80-90 percent of ComVal were identified as hazard prone.
The Secretary said this is not the first time the said place was affected, noting that in 2011 ComVal was devastated even without a storm signal raised.
“In the era of climate change, no area is safe and anything can happen anywhere,” Coloma said as he urged information officers to encourage the public to know more about climate change mitigation.
He added that the word “disaster” is now the internationally accepted term, and not tragedy which makes the term less serious.
Disaster implies a serious matter or event, a catastrophe, Coloma said.
“All global disasters arise from the lack or absence of ethical behavior,” Coloma said.
He urged information officers to be vigilant in their jobs particularly in information dissemination.
“As what the President said during the 25th anniversary of the PIA, a well-informed people will enable them to make well-informed choices,” Coloma said. (rmn/FCC-PIA7)
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PNoy declares San Pedro Calungsod, good model for Filipinos
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY December 10 (PIA) -- President Benigno Aquino III said the life and sainthood of Calungsod embodies the Filipino pride and great gratitude to the Catholic faith and to God.
"The sacred youth is really a Fiipino being raised in the Visayas Island specifically here in Cebu," Aquino said during the National Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Pedro Calungsod at SRP Cebu.
The President said Filipinos should also offer gratitude to God for the canonization of the second Filipino Saint serving as model to the Filipinos and the youth.
He added that Saint Pedro Calungsod portrayed such character of the Visayan people that all Filipinos should reflect in all aspect of human life specifically in dealing with other people, loved ones and to the faith in God.
“Saint Pedro Calungsod reflects the kindness of the Visayas ,” the President continued that “ the gathering for the National Thanksgiving Mass marks the testament of being an outward for oneself, for others and to God.”
“The challenge is to put together and play our part for betterment, may the life of the Saint be our guide,” the President said in front of about one million crowd during the National Thanksgiving Mass for Saint Pedro Calungsod.
Visayan Saint Pedro Calungsod canonized in Rome along with six other saints last Oct. 21 of which the National Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated here in Cebu on November 29, 2012.
Prior to Saint Pedro Calungsod other Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila was also declared Saint by the Roman Catholic Church. (mbcn/AYS/PIA-Cebu)
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Cebu LGUs implement intensified measures to prepare for typhoons
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU CITY, Dec 10 (PIA) -- Local government units (LGUs) of Cebu province especially from the southern part frequented by typhoons intensified its precautionary measures in the wake of the recent typhoon when southern Cebu was placed under signal number three.
As early as 6 a.m. of December 4, the day typhoon Pablo was to hit the area, the Municipal Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC) from the towns of Ginatilan, Asturias, Argao, and Dalaguete in the southern and northwestern part of Cebu had already conducted meetings to discuss and set up preparations and precautionary measures in anticipation of the storm.
Priority objective of the LGUs was to prevent the loss of lives and significant damages to properties.
The municipalities of Santander, Aloguinsan, and Boljoon in Cebu’s south also convened its respective MDRRMCs to discuss matters all for the safety of its constituents.
The Asturias disaster council, on the other hand, prepared its available equipment for clearing operations of the national highway in case Pablo may cause severe damage.
By 11:45 a.m., Rydal Cisneros, Dalaguete information officer, reported that an estimated 30 to 40 families from identified flood- and landslide-prone areas and in the coastal area were being transferred to evacuation centers such as the Dalaguete Community College, Dalaguete Sports Complex, and daycare centers.
By 9:02 p.m., Cisneros said, there were already 166 families or a total of 752 persons being relocated in the town’s identified evacuation centers.
In Ginatilan, drivers of heavy equipment and other government vehicles were stationed at the Municipal Health Office to immediately respond in case of immediate evacuation of residents from identified flood and landslide-prone areas.
Meanwhile, Fe Cristobal, Ginatilan information officer said that around 4 p.m., December 4, the town was experiencing heavy rains and strong winds and big waves prompting Vice Mayor Dean Michael Singco to immediately convene the MDRRMC for possible evacuation of those living near the shore and riverbanks.
The cities of Cebu , Mandaue, Talisay, and Lapu-lapu also set and implemented their respective precautionary measures.
Residents in the mentioned cities settling in the coastal areas as well as in flood and landslides-prone areas were being transferred to identified evacuation centers as the city heads immediately reminded barangay captains to enforce preemptive evacuations on households living in danger zone like creeks, rivers, and landslide-prone areas.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama then ordered the rolling down of billboards in the City. While Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes activated the citys’ command center equipped with communication equipment for fast and quick response to the needs of the constituents in the city.
Local Government Assistant Regional Director Elias Fernandez said that all LGUs in Central Visayas have convened their respective provincial, city, and municipal DRRMCs. (FCR/AYS-PIA 7, Cebu)
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DSWD 7 turns over NHTS-PR data sets to Bohol province
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, Dec 10 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-Field Office 7) has formally turned over the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) data sets to the Provincial Government of Bohol at Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran City on November 29, 2012.
Bohol governor Edgardo Chatto received the electronic copy of the NHTS-PR Proxy Means Test (PMT) results and statistics covering the selected demographic profile of poor households in the Province of Bohol.
The sharing of data sets was made possible after DSWD FO-VII and Bohol Provincial Government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the sharing and use of the NHTS-PR data of the poor households in Bohol.
The data sets contained the magnitude of poor households per municipality and barangay, list of poor households with family members, date of birth, age, and type of toilet facilities used.
Governor Chatto also asked the list of poor households without electricity, households with type of main water source and those with and without PhilHealth coverage.
So far, the Province of Bohol is the first and only provincial government in the region that signed a MOA with the DSWD-7. NHTS-PR has identified 70,028 poor households in Bohol based on its first assessment in 2009.
NHTS-PR is an information management system that identifies who and where poor households are in the country. The project aimed for the government and civil society to establish objective targeting system on the social protection programs and services to the poor.
The project also helps reduce leakage and exclusion of the poor in availing the services.
On the same event, 24 local government units (LGUs) in the region signed the memorandum of agreement with DSWD FO-VII as co-partners in the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program Set 6.
Of the 24 identified LGUs, 17 are from Bohol, five (5) from Cebu and two (2) from Siquijor.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a conditional cash transfer program of DSWD providing health and educational cash grants to household with children 0-14 years of age.
The pre-set conditions for health includes pre and post natal care, immunization, weighing and attendance to family development sessions while that of education is simply 85% monthly attendance of children in school starting day-care to be able to receive such grant monthly.(mbcn/HFG/PIA-7/DSWD-7)