The provincial government, led by Governor Jose V. Gambito, is set to launch an incentive program aimed at strengthening the disaster preparedness of Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils. This initiative seeks to promote preemptive forced evacuations during calamities, such as typhoons, by providing barangays with financial assistance. According to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Officer King Webster Balawing, the funds will help ensure that evacuees’ needs are met at various barangay evacuation centers.

Balaw-ing emphasized that Governor Gambito understands the predicament faced by barangay officials, particularly the lack of funds necessary to cater to evacuees’ needs, such as food and other essentials. Although barangays have their own Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) funds, these are often limited and insufficient to cover all the necessities of evacuees. The financial assistance from the provincial government will be allocated based on the number of evacuees that need to be evacuated during a calamity, with a maximum of 50,000 pesos available for each barangay.

It has been noted that even during the tenure of the late Governor Carlos M. Padilla, the provincial government provided financial assistance amounting to 350,000 pesos to each of the 15 municipalities as support for their disaster operations.

In addition to the financial incentives, the provincial government is also in the process of procuring indoor tents to be distributed to barangays. These tents are intended to offer evacuees a degree of privacy within evacuation centers.

This initiative aims to bolster the preparedness and response capabilities of barangays, ensuring that communities are better equipped to handle the challenges posed by natural disasters. /RMI

[This article was initially created on Facebook – Vizcaya Reporter. For PLGU-Nueva Vizcaya updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]