DAMAGE. A magnitude 7 earthquake destroys a house in Bangued, Abra in July 2022. The Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has adopted a system that will allow government responders to have a smooth delivery of services for victims temporarily staying in evacuation centers or seeking refuge in other houses. (PNA file photo by Liza T. Agoot)
BAGUIO CITY -- The Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CRDRRMC) response council has approved a camp coordination system and management plan that will smoothen the delivery of services in evacuation centers during calamities.
Leo Quintilla, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development - Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD-CAR) and vice chair for Disaster Response of the CDRRMC, said they have crafted guidelines aimed at helping government responders to better prepare for the typhoon season.
"We have adopted the guidelines on camp coordination and camp management and internally displaced persons protection especially with the traditional rainy season in the region already being felt," he said in an interview on Thursday.
The system assures the availability of established safe camps, ensures temporary refuge to persons at risk or in actual danger, accounts for all internally displaced persons for the provision of assistance, defines lines of interoperability of all responders and ensures an early recovery and rehabilitation as post-response activities are undertaken in case of prolonged stay.
He said the camp coordination guidelines cover all activities before, during, and after the displacement of families affected by calamities with the response clusters identifying specific functions and preventing duplication and miscommunication at the time when there is an urgency for the delivery of basic services.
The CRDRRMC created the technical working group during a full council meeting on June 29, tasked to develop an evaluation tool to validate inspection activities in identified evacuation centers in coordination with the local government units.
Aside from prompt and effective delivery of services, also included is the conduct of assessment on the structural integrity, safety against risks and hazards, suitability for use as an evacuation center, and the availability of camp facilities.
Quintilla said the government's declaration of a state of El Niño makes it more important to have stringent preparation against calamities.
"El Niño is said to cause drought but historically, during the El niño, the Cordillera receives strong typhoons that is why we cannot be complacent, especially with our region's topography prone to landslides," Quintilla said. (PNA)
