The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has approved on Third and Final Reading the proposed “Bacolod Climate Resilience and Emergency Preparedness Ordinance of 2026, Councilor Caesar Distrito said Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The ordinance authored by Distrito and co-authored by Councilor Psyche Marie Sy seeks to protect Bacolod City and its residents from increasing climate-related risks by institutionalizing proactive, science-based, and community-centered policies on disaster preparedness, climate-change adaptation, and emergency response.
“We recognized that Bacolod continues to face escalating threats from flooding, extreme heat, climate variability, and severe weather disturbances, the ordinance aims to minimize the loss of lives and property by establishing responsive and localized mechanisms for preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and emergency response,” Distrito said.
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Among its key provisions is the requirement for all City Government departments and offices to incorporate appropriate climate-change adaptation and disaster-risk-reduction measures into their respective annual plans and budget proposals.
The ordinance also directs the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to establish localized flood early-warning systems in flood-prone barangays.
Meanwhile, the City Health Office is tasked with formulating heat-index emergency protocols, including appropriate advisories on the suspension of classes, the establishment of hydration stations, and the issuance of timely public-health warnings during periods of extreme heat.
To strengthen the City’s overall emergency preparedness, the measure further requires the conduct of annual evacuation-readiness audits. These audits will assess evacuation facilities based on sanitation, emergency power supply, accessibility, safety, and other essential standards.
The CDRRMO shall serve as the lead implementing agency in coordination with the City Engineer’s Office, City Health Office, Department of Social Services and Development, other concerned City Government offices, barangays, and relevant stakeholders.
“This ordinance represents a comprehensive and long-term commitment to the safety and future of every Bacolodnon,” Sy said.
“By institutionalizing climate-responsive budgeting, localized flood early-warning systems, heat-index emergency protocols, and annual evacuation-readiness audits, we are doing more than preparing for storms and disasters, we are strengthening our City’s capacity to anticipate, withstand, and recover from the growing and increasingly unpredictable effects of climate change,” she added.*
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