Education disaster response body formed

CEBU, Philippines -  The Department of Education Central-Visayas has pioneered the creation of a school division-based disaster response committee, following the series of natural disasters experienced last year.

 Dr. Roland Villegas, Technology and Livelihood Education and Technical Vocational Education  regional coordinator, said DepEd-7’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Committee would be attuned with government agencies concerned.

“It has been observed that schools become the emergency temporary shelter for those stricken by calamities like fire, flooding and typhoon. So in order to capacitate our school officials in helping out the victims, we suggested this system to the central office and they like the idea,” he said.

A seminar led by Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Antonio Laguda on the DRRMC was done in Cebu Tuesday to Thursday this week.

The committee body would have the division physical facilities heads, information officers, and school heads directly supervised by Regional Physical Facilities Chief Victor Yntig, as members.

The members would conduct their own assessment on the stability of school buildings and structures to make sure these would withstand calamities so as to be able to provide shelter to those who would be forced to leave their homes.

Villegas stressed that DepEd’s DRMMC does not aim to supersede government agencies mandated to respond to disaster and act on emergencies.

Instead, he said, it intends to complement and be the one act while the mandated agencies are not yet around.  (FREEMAN)