San Francisco chosen as Philippine disaster reduction model

CEBU, Philippines – The municipality of San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, is now a model in the world campaign for Disaster Risk Reduction in the country organized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

Former San Francisco town mayor and present Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano was one of the three presenters from the Philippines during the Southeast Asia Regional Consultation Workshop on Strengthening Climate Resilience in Bangkok, Thailand, last September 23, 2010.

The only mayor from Cebu, Arquillano presented his case study "Building Resilience in Small Island Communities, San Francisco, Camotes Islands, Cebu."

Arquillano said that it was during this workshop when he was told by Jerry Velasquez, senior regional coordinator for Asia-Pacific of UNISDR, that his initiative on building a disaster-resilient community in San Francisco would be expanded to other regions by launching the global campaign in Cebu.

A team from UNISDR is set to come to Cebu next month to finalize the launching of the global campaign.

When asked why they wanted it in Cebu, Plan Program Manager of UK and Philippine Country Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction, Baltazar Tribunalo, said Cebu has not experienced big disasters.

'The best time to prepare, to mitigate is when there is no disaster," Tribunalo said before the assembly of League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter yesterday.

Arquillano said that he never expected that what he did in his nine years as town mayor of San Francisco would gain international recognition after Plan International discovered that his initiatives met the 10-point checklist of the UNISDR. 

Among other items, the 10-point checklist covers sustainable municipal development, uplifts the economic condition of the poor, provides comfortable evacuation centers and has a risk assessment data for urban development plans and decisions.

In San Francisco, Arquillano empowered local community through "purok system approach". Arquillano also promotes biking activities and gives importance to strong solid waste management implementation. He also installed solar power to remote barangays, set up water impounding dams, rehabilitated mangrove areas and established marine sanctuaries for the recovery of corals.

This made San Francisco number one in the Expanded-Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (eGWEN) program of the Province of Cebu and caught the attention of the DRR implementers in the country and other international non-government organizations.   Last month, Arquillano also represented the Philippines in the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in Incheon, South Korea.

Arquillano shared his success in yesterday's LMP Cebu general assembly. His slogan is; "Act now, prepare and make your town ready to the effects of the Climate Change and Global Warming."

In the support to the campaign, LMP Cebu approved a resolution supporting the advocacy and expressing willingness in hosting the Global Campaign on Making Cities and Municipalities Resilient to Disaster and Climate Change. (FREEMAN)