Small budget set aside for disaster response
Small towns like Samboan in southern Cebu lack the funds for disaster preparation and mitigation to handle calamities on the scale of last year’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Samboan Mayor Raymond Calderon said they only have P2 million set aside as calamity fund next year.
He said they identified hazardous areas in the town and trained select employees in disaster response and mitigation.
They also bought chainsaws, emergency lamps and an ambulance but they don’t have equipment for rescue and clearing operations.
No money
About 30 percent of the P2 million or P600,000 is set for emergency assistance.
The rest will be spent for disaster mitigation measures.
“Our problem really is the equipment. We don’t have money for that. We are on the process of securing a loan but it could probably be done next year,” Calderon said.
Samboan, a fifth class municipality, was one of six towns in southern Cebu affected by the Oct. 15 earthquake with its parish church, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, sustaining heavy damage.
Calderon said the town’s assessor doubles as a disaster and risk reduction management (DRRM) officer. The town doesn’t have DRRM personnel due to lack of funds.
Way of life
“It’s hard for small LGUs to comply with government requirements,” Calderon said in a phone interview.
The province’s DRRM chief Baltazar Tribunalo, said most of the smaller towns in Cebu face a similar situation.
“I have to be honest. I cannot say that the province is ready if in fact, we are not. The towns must not be complacent. I want to emphasize that disaster preparedness is a way of life. All the people should know,” he said.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said the province earmarked P110 million for cranes, backhoes and dump trucks and equipment for disaster response operations in his administration’s proposed 2015 Annual Investment Plan (AIP).
The governor said they will lend the equipment to its component towns and cities.
Vulnerable sectors
“The equipment is partly for disaster and for the improvement of our roads,” the governor said.
The Davide administration came up with a P121.4 million calamity fund for this year, higher by P8 million compared to last year.
The biggest allocation will go to calamity insurance coverage for government-owned buildings, crops, agri-fishery products and subsidy to highly-vulnerable sectors such as farmers and fisherfolk worth P17.9 million.
About P15 million will go to an early warning system based on hazard maps while P13.5 million will be used to train disaster management personnel and first responders in towns.
Other projects include a learning resource center, emergency operations center and three fully-equipped communication centers in the north, south and central Cebu worth P7.5 million.
Preparedness
The province set aside P4 million for standby emergency food supply, medicine, relief packs, tents and blankets.
It also has an additional P110 million from its unexpended calamity fund from 2012 to 2014.
“We hope that it doesn’t happen again but still, we will prepare for any eventuality. That is why in our budget this year, we increased the funds for budget,” the governor said.
“I think the main reason is that the concept of preparedness just entered into the public consciousness. We never had any major calamities before. Now, this will be our priority,” Davide added.
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