Public told: Don’t trust unauthorized persons during calamities

THE Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Director Rey Gozon asked the public to refrain from believing unauthorized persons in times of calamity.

The call came after people went into panic due to misleading information during the 7.6-magnitude earthquake last August 31.

Gozon said that aside from their respective local government unit, people could rely on the information coming from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the OCD.

“We should not believe on any information that does not come from reliable sources because this would create panic,” Gozon said.

Gozon also urged all local government units down to the barangay levels and government agencies concerned to conduct an education and information dissemination campaign in their communities so that they would be equipped on knowledge as to what should they do during times of disaster.

“Our office has been doing this education and information dissemination campaign to LGUs and concerned government agencies,” the director said. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)