Initiatives to help fellow barangays now a part of BEP measures
The spirit of heroism or the “bayanihan” system is one of the most important acts in times of hardship and distress because by working together, heavy burdens become lighter.
To revive such an old tradition, initiatives to assist fellow barangays are now included in the evaluation and measures of the Barangay Empowerment Program (BEP) under the core area of disaster management.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) strengthened the cooperation of neighboring barangay during disasters since there are times that the barangay captains and council members themselves are also affected by catastrophe and need some help from allies.
According to CDRRM Officer Cyrus Jose Urbano, there is already an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among 27 barangays on the subject, but it has not yet been fully realized. As a result, he reminded the barangay officials that the MOU must be carried out because it is one of those rated in the BEP evaluation.
Following the July calamity, in which five (5) barangays in this city were severely impacted by the ravages of heavy floods and flashfloods, including Esperanza, Cacub, Mabini, Topland, and San Jose, Urbano emphasized the importance of fulfilling such understanding, which should not remain only on paper.
Apart from the aforementioned areas, some parts of Barangay Sto. Niño, Gen. Paulino Santos (GPS), Concepcion, Magsaysay, Carpenter Hill, and Saravia were also affected.
Currently, the city government through the City Engineering Office continues to help the impacted barangays through the rehabilitation of vital infrastructures specifically the damaged roads, bridges and slope protections. City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) on the other hand, also maintained its coordination with the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) Region XII for emergency shelter assistance and other programs that may access the flood victims.
Such a calamitous event left a crop damage of approximately 7,522,500.00.