PDRRMC office still functioning

CEBU, Philippines - Even though his position as chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is still up in the air, Neil Angelo Sanchez assured that his staff is still working on their plans and projects, especially with the continuous heavy rains in the province.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Sanchez explained that while there was no order from Governor Hilario Davide III for him to stop taking office after the Civil Service Commission invalidated his position, Sanchez said that out of delicadeza, he decided to stop reporting to his office for the moment.

He said that after he was informed of the CSC’s findings, he spoke with Davide who informed him that they will look into the concern.

Sanchez said Davide did not tell him to stop discharging his duties but he did so on his own.

“I took the initiative para dili sad siya masangit,” said Sanchez, explaining that he did not want Davide or other people to be made accountable if there are really invalidations in his position.

Last Monday, Sanchez said he got the letter from CSC which notified him that his position as PDRRMC head will not be credited from that day onward as it did not coincide with the office title listed under the Capitol.

“It’s more of Civil Service technicality,” said Sanchez, explaining that the position may not have been clearly specified when it was opened as a new item under the Capitol. He said the position he was given was Supervising Administrative Officer.

Nevertheless, Sanchez said they are still pushing for their risk reduction management plans specifically on pushing Local Government Units to strictly monitor hazard-prone areas in their respective jurisdiction.

He said that they have been pushing for LGUs to take non-structural measures as their priority which includes information dissemination of hazards caused by heavy rain, warning signs and safety procedures.

For the long-term goal, Sanchez said structural measures should be taken by LGUs which means evacuation centers should be in place, ripraps and dams should be built and buildings should be ensured safe.

He said that at present, municipalities and cities already have proper structures built, but then some have been worn out while others need to be retrofitted.

According to Sanchez, five percent of the total Internal Revenue Allotment of municipalities and cities should go to disaster risk reduction, seven percent should be allocated for preparedness measures while 30 percent should be set aside as a quick response fund.  (FREEMAN)