One DavNor Rescue launched

DAVAO DEL NORTE, July 6 (PIA) - - In celebration of the National Disaster Consciousness Month, the provincial government of Davao del Norte earlier today launched the One DavNor Rescue during the regular Monthly Convocation at the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan.

Gaspar Balinggao, president of Provincial Alliance of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (PADRRMO), said that One DavNor Rescue is the unification of all available rescue skills from the different local disaster rescue team in the province.

“One DavNor Rescue aims to response to disasters at any given time within the province and even outside the province when activated and necessary,” Balinggao added.

He bared that the idea started as remorse on the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda by most of the action officers that it was not able to send contingents to actually assist in the restoration of the devastation.

He disclosed that the main reasons were scarcity of resources and not yet enhanced level of rescuer’s skills and also tedious process imposed by the Commission on Audit in spending calamity fund.

“This resulted to an agreement to converge resources in the event of provincial deployment during occurrence of disaster which needs manpower to response even outside the province’s area of responsibility,” he said.

He also emphasized that the initiative evolved through the rescue drills conducted by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), which created teams composed of rescuers from different local DRRMOs.

Balinggao urged the provincial government to lobby to the local mayors for the appointment on plantilla positions, the action officers and staff of the local DRRMOs.

He said that it is one of their hurdles today to sustain the disaster mitigation programs and projects, which includes preparedness in the grassroots level.

“PADRRMO believes that disaster preparedness starts from the family and community,” he stressed.

He said that by preparing the family and community, we can become the best disaster prepared province. (PIA11, Michael Uy)