WITH its collaboration with the National Resilience Council (NRC), the Mandaue City Government plans to construct resilience centers within each of the city's five clusters, comprising its 27 barangays to further strengthen its disaster response and preparedness.
Mayor Jonas Cortes announced on Thursday, February 8, 2024, that personnel from the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO) will attend to the proposed resilient centers daily to ensure disaster monitoring.
Cortes' proposed resilience centers will function as disaster monitoring centers and housing offices from disaster and response-related departments, including the MCDRRMO.
The five clusters include the Kabukiran Cluster composed of barangays Basak, Pagsabungan, Casili, Tawason, Jagobiao, Cubacub, and Canduman; the Butuanon Cluster composed of barangays Casuntingan, Maguikay, Cabancalan, Tingub, Tabok; Kadagatan Cluster composed of barangays Looc, Paknaan, Labogon, Umapad, Opao; Mahiga Cluster composed of barangays Tipolo, Bakilid, Subangdaku, and Banilad; and Centro Cluster composed of barangays Cambaro, Mantuyong, Ibabao-Estancia, Alang-Alang, and Centro.
Barangays under each cluster are mandated to coordinate with each other and the MCDRRMO to ensure timely response during calamities.
Cortes also said the City Government plans to construct the resilient center for the Kabukiran cluster this year.
He also said that they plan to institutionalize "puroks" (small divided groups within a barangay) to ensure all resilient initiatives and other programs reach every resident in Mandaue.
On Thursday, February 8, 2024, the NRC and the Mandaue City Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with private partners Vivant Foundation, Visayan Electric Company (Veco), and the University of San Carlos (USC).
The MOU was signed at the Mandaue City Session Hall and is part of the NRC's Resilient Local Government Units Program (RLGUP).
The RLGUP program aims to bridge critical gaps between science, policy, and practice through the Adopt-a-City initiative. This initiative, as per the NRC, is an innovative pathway for businesses to collaborate directly with local governments, academic partners, civil society organizations, and communities to transform local climate and disaster risk landscapes.
Private sector investments are envisioned to strengthen evidence-informed risk governance by building knowledge and capacities of cities toward climate and disaster resilience. The program intersects businesses’ environment, society, and governance goals with the human, economic, infrastructure, and environmental resilience of their communities.
It is grounded on a whole-of-society effort toward risk reduction and uses systems lent to creative and technology-based solutions to local government’s specific priorities and challenges.
These may include investments in disaster-resilient housing and infrastructure, jointly supporting the sustainability of social and environmental protection programs, providing opportunities for social innovators and entrepreneurs, as well as enhancing the financial literacy of informal livelihood earners and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Cortes expressed their optimism that the partnership between the city and the NRC will aid in providing training and seminars to enhance Mandaue residents' disaster preparedness.
Silvestre Barrameda Jr., executive director of the NRC, pledged their support to Mandaue's priority projects, especially those related to resiliency, and plans to expand it through their private partners' investment.
"As a highly urbanized city on the island of Cebu, Mandaue City is in the perfect position to expand its resilience influence across the province. Mandaue, our nation's Furniture Capital of the Philippines, has faced its fair share of challenges throughout its history. From disasters brought about by natural hazards, to economic challenges, the city has demonstrated its strength and ability to overcome these challenges," said Barrameda, explaining why Mandaue was chosen as an LGU beneficiary of the NRC's Adopt-a-City program during his speech.
Barrameda also mentioned that the NRC would assist the city by deploying experts in various areas, such as economics, science, technology, and others, to work closely with the local government unit (LGU).
As per the MOU signed, the NRC would match the capacity and resources of the private partners to the Mandaue LGU's needs, act as a liaison, and collaborate closely with their private partners and the Mandaue City Government, including providing technical support as required in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the Adopt-a-City program in Mandaue.
They will also assist the City Government in adhering to the relevant agreements and reporting requirements of the private partners in all their publications, such as publicity materials, brochures, magazines, and online publications related to the program.
Barrameda said that since the program's inception in 2019, they have partnered with at least 12 LGUs nationwide with several private organizations. Mandaue is the first LGU in Cebu and Central Visayas to benefit from the program.
The NRC is a science and technology-based public-private partnership that supports government, communities, the academe, and the private sector in advancing the intersecting goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement, the New Urban Agenda, and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign. (HIC)