Cebu City Disaster Office to create database of barangay, sitio residents

Lawyer Gerry Carillo, chairperson Cebu City Disaster Council, says the Council plans to have a database of residents in the city. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Disaster Council is planning to create an extensive database of residents in the city in order to facilitate faster response during disasters.

Lawyer Gerry Carillo, Disaster Council chairperson, said that the database would list all residents by household indicating if they were the owner of the house, the head of the family, a renter, a sharer, or a tenant.

This is their solution to the problem of distribution of aid, especially after the disastrous Typhoon Odette where anomalies and irregularities surfaced in the distribution that took six months to complete.

“Amo nang ilista daan so when a disaster strikes, we will now have a record or data. Among andamun nga food, nga budget, motukma sa number of tawo ani nga area,” said Carillo.

(We will list them down first so that when a disaster strikes, we will now have a record or data. We will prepare the food, the budget, that the number of persons in an area will dovetail with that [the things to be distributed].)

He said that the computerized database would ensure faster and more accurate identification of residents living in the area and would prevent duplication in the distribution of disaster aid.

The city government has already purchased the software system that will host the database which will soon be available in all barangays.

“Magsugod na mi, OPLAN Lista. Kailangan ang lista updated every three months. Ngano man? Naa may nagpuyo dinha, renter, sharer nga in the next few months, wala na siya dira,” said Carillo.

(We will start now, OPLAN Lista. The list should be updated every three months. Why? There are people who are living there, renter, sharer who will be gone there in the next few months.)

The pilot areas are in Barangays Guadalupe, Duljo Fatima, and Punta Princesa while the other barangays will follow as well.

The database from each barangays will be harmonized in the city’s database allowing the city government to trace what services a resident has availed of.

“Nabakunahan ba ni siya? Nakadawat ba ni siyag ayuda, ug unsa nga ayuda? It’s really one of its kind in the entire country,” he added.

(Has this person been vaccinated? Has this person receive the aid, and what aid is that? It’s really one of its kind in the entire country.)

Carillo said they hoped for a faster implementation of the system because this would help the departments identify the needs of residents in a particular area.

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