AFTER experiencing Typhoon Hagibis and an earthquake in Japan, Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak has appealed to the National Government to create a separate agency that focuses on preparations for natural disasters.
The lawmaker suggested the creation of a component office within the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and its functions are only for disaster awareness, preparedness and reduction.
Tumulak said he already shared this idea to Senators Cynthia Villar and Ralph Recto. The two legislators told him that they still have to study his suggestion as it may contravene with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The councilor said local government units, from the national level down to the barangays, would have a unified disaster preparedness program and government funds would be saved if the NDRRMC is transferred to the DILG.
The NDRRMC is administered by the Office of the Civil Defense, which is under the Department of National Defense.
Tumulak will request the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to improve the building code. The OBO, he said, must also check if the design of the building is earthquake-proof.
He also encouraged all government, public and private offices, schools and churches to conduct a disaster preparedness education campaign.
Being able to experience firsthand how Japan responded to Hagibis, Tumulak said the public’s cooperation is important.
“Three days before the landfall, the public had already stored food as a preparation for the typhoon. Hours before the expected time for the landfall, the people were already relaxed and the streets were empty,” he said.
Tumulak said he learned that most of the Japanese citizens were trained on how to prepare for a disaster. He saw some men removing branches of trees from the roads.
The councilor, City Administrator Floro Casas Jr. and special assistant Jose Daluz III represented Mayor Edgardo Labella at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Smart Cities Network High Level Conference on Oct. 11, 2019.
The City officials were supposed to return to Cebu last Oct. 12, but all the flights were cancelled as it was also the day when Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in Japan. (JJL)