OCD Cordillera trains various DRRM stakeholders

March 24, 2018 Community Billboard

BAGUIO CITY – Local media partners, senior citizens, formal labor, and migrant workers were trained this month on the fundamentals of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) by the Office of Civil Defense Cordillera (OCD-CAR).
With the aim to raise awareness on disaster preparedness and to increase the knowledge on the principles of DRRM amongst different basic sectors of community, OCD-CAR continues to implement programs as the prime mover of the Cordillera Regional DRRM Council (CRDRRMC).
Training courses for media and senior citizens were conducted simultaneously on March 15 to 16, 2018 in Baguio City. While the formal labors and migrant workers from the province of Apayao were capacitated on March 20 to 22.
National DRRMC spokesperson and OCD Public Affairs Chief Romina Marasigan joined the local media partners from various print and broadcast outfits.
Marasigan said that the purpose of involving media practitioners is for them to have a better understanding on the procedures and processes of DRRM, as well as a way to gain fast and efficient knowledge and information for the mass.
“If the media will understand this basic knowledge about DRRM, they can be able to make an efficient, better and colorful story out of it. This is one of the most important things that our agency is doing to guarantee the accuracy of the dissemination of information”, remarked Marasigan.
Also, in coordination with Senior Citizens Association of Baguio and in partnership with Baguio City’s DRRM office and Department of Education Division, a one-day course was held for vulnerable groups particularly the elderly. This aims to promote safety among our senior citizens.
A retired teacher, Felicidad Piquero expresses her appreciation for the activity. “Because of this course, I was able to prove that age is not a measure of absolute knowledge. At first, I thought that I know everything but there are a lot of things to know on DRRM. Rest assured that we will go back to our barangays and share this knowledge to our family and our community”, she said.
Meanwhile in Luna, Apayao, leaders of associations of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), participants from the eight municipalities of Apayao, presidents of different organizations, and representatives from DENR attended the 3-day training course.
The training was made possible in collaboration with the local DRRM officers, PAGASA, Apayao Provincial DRRM office, and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
OCD-CAR Director Andrew Alex Uy underscored on the coordination between the local government units as well as different media outfits which would increase the execution of immediate response when a strong cyclone or disasters occur.
Courses include legal basis of the Philippine DRRM system, its four thematic areas, tools and mechanisms for response, preparedness, and recovery which give the stakeholders the idea on how DRRM establishes the structures and procedures.
OCD-CAR will continue to conduct trainings next month including 1-day DRRM for the Farmers and Landless Workers in Benguet, 3-day Community Based DRRM for Youth and Students in Baguio City and a 2-day DRRMT for the Private Sector for NGOs in Baguio City. LYNDON ALI and ZALDY DE GUZMAN, interns/PR / ABN