OCD Team holds consultative meetings with NV DRRMOs

OCD Team holds consultative meetings with NV DRRMOs

A delegation from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) headed by OCD-R02 Regional Director Leon DG. Rafael, Jr. came to Nueva Vizcaya on April 13, 2022 to confer with local officials about the ongoing infrastructure projects in the province funded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and the local preparations for this year’s Holy Week celebration.

Also joining the afternoon’s consultative meeting were the MDRRMOs of the municipalities of Ambaguio, Solano, Quezon, and Villaverde.

They were all warmly welcomed by Provincial Administrator Maybelle Dumlao-Sevillena who represented Governor Carlos M. Padilla, as he was then attending to a prior commitment.

Forestalling any possible snags on the solemn observance of the annual Christian activity, given the expected influx of people coming in, PDRRM Officer Robert L. Corpuz said that Governor Padilla, Provincial DRRMC Chairperson, issued on April 7, 2022 PDRRMC Memorandum No. 2-S2022 re: “Raising the status of the province to Alert Level during the Semana Santa 2022”.

As presented by PDRRMO’s AA-IV Nicole L. Gimarino, the said executive issuance includes the following: 24/7 monitoring of possible incidents by the PDRRMO’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC); Backup communication systems in place; Closer coordination among DRRMOs; Continuous monitoring of traffic and road conditions; Availability of Emergency Response Teams (ERTs), ambulances and rescue vehicles for immediate mobilization; and Strict enforcement of the health and safety protocols set by the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and Provincial Task Group on COVID-19 (PTGC).

Meanwhile, religious groups also announced that their crowd-drawing activities will be undertaken with limited attendance, and mostly through livestreaming. The Diocese of Bayombong covering the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, for example, had the same declaration, also adding its decision to have a “simplified” staging of the traditional “Way of the Cross” at the Bangan Hill in Bayombong, and not to pursue the annual “Procession of the Passion Characters”.

CAO-III King Webster Balaw-ing of the Public Affairs and Information Assistance Division (PAIAD) said that the subject NDRRMC-funded projects consist of the following: (1) Construction of Flood Control Structure along the Baresbes-Nalubbunan-Caliat-Darubba Road (Nalubbunan Section) in Quezon – P5,857,191.00; (2) Construction of a DRRM Warehouse at the Provincial Capitol, Bayombong – P9,720,000.00; (3) Rehabilitation of the Kayapa Central-Kayapa Proper Road, NV-Benguet Jct. (Besong Section) – P5,000,000.00; and (4) Rehabilitation of the Dupax District Hospital’s Isolation Facility Slope Protection and Grounds – P2,000,000.00.

Citing the Fund Utilization and Project Status Report as of December 31, 2021 released by the provincial government’s Local Finance Committee (LFC) headed by PPDC Edgardo D. Sabado, the 4th project has already been completed as of December 3, 2021. He added that the other three projects are still in progress, but are all expected to be completed within this year.

RD Rafael said his group went first to the Municipality of Ambaguio, and that after their sojourn at the Provincial Capitol, they will then proceed to the Nueva Vizcaya municipalities of Villaverde and Quezon and, finally, to the Quirino province before going back to their station.