THE Cebu City Government will pilot a digital database of its residents to expedite and avoid anomalies in handing out aid after calamities.
Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC) Chairman Gerardo Carillo told reporters Wednesday, June 22, 2022, that the program will be called “Oplan Lista” and will be the first of its kind in the country.
The database will contain necessary information on all residents of the city’s 80 barangays to help the City Government address problems like disasters and even the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.
Carillo said the experiences from the aftermath of Typhoon Odette (Rai) and the different fire incidents have taught them a lesson that a concrete database is necessary.
“We had experienced that in Typhoon Odette when there were false death claims. Also, instead of giving aid to the structure owner, it was the mother, father or child who claimed [the aid],” Carillo said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Carillo added that they had started gathering data in Barangays Guadalupe and Duljo Fatima.
He said a computer program was purchased by the CCDRRMC and this will include the Global Positioning Mapping of the houses that will be introduced in the database.
Through the program, the City Government will also be able to know the vaccination status of the residents and identify if they have been listed in the government’s financial aid programs, said Carillo.
Punta fire
Meanwhile, Carillo said they have completed 90 percent of the reblocking of the area in Barangay Punta Princesa that was ravaged by fire on June 11.
He said they are now filling up portions of the area with gravel to add elevation and to avoid flooding.
The City plans to acquire 200 container vans that can be transformed into temporary housing units for the fire victims, Carillo said. Each container can accommodate two families, he added.
According to Carillo, the CCDRRMC is now facilitating the transfer of the evacuees from the schools as the Department of Education is eyeing the full implementation of in-person learning in August.
A total of 655 houses were either damaged or destroyed by the fire that quickly spread through five sitios in the barangay, displacing 850 families and 3,337 individuals.