Adrian Sedillo, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer of Negros Oriental. (Photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The head of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division of Negros Oriental said on Thursday local government units (LGUs) must harmonize climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).
Adrian Sedillo, the province's DRRM Officer, said CCA and DRRM go hand-in-hand like “husband and wife” that should be addressed as one.
Although the country is celebrating National Disaster Resilience Month this July, issues and concerns on climate change should also be covered, he said.
“We are given 5 percent of our (LGU) annual budget for DRRM but I would like to emphasize that this is not only for disaster risk reduction and management but also for climate change adaptation,” he added.
That is the reason that while some guidelines for the budget focus on DRRM expenditures, the LGUs can now also include environmental programs and projects for CCA, Sedillo said.
With Republic Act 10121 (An Act Strengthening the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System) in effect, every LGU must look at the climate and disaster risk in their areas, he pointed out.
Sedillo believes that the province and its LGUs are more resilient now, having recovered from disasters like strong earthquakes and massive flooding in the last 10 years.
LGUs are doing their best to address challenges brought about by “climatic variabilities”, which in essence are believed to be the cause of disasters, calamities, and other emergencies, he said.
To celebrate National Disaster Resilience Month, the province has lined up several activities, one of which is a forum in cooperation with the Office of Civil Defense and DRRM officers from the various LGUs. (PNA)
