A total of 125 planning officers, Geographic Information System (GIS) experts, engineering and DRRM officers and agriculture personnel from 21 Local Government Units completed the five-day Enhanced Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment Training (E-CDRA) on Saturday, March 21..
The activity was conducted by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) – Negros Island Region, in collaboration with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) of the Provincial Government at the Negros Residences, Capitol, Bacolod City.
The participants came from the LGUs of Bago, Balaban, Cauayan, Candoni, Calatrava, Don Salvador Benedicto, EB Magalona, Hinigaran, Ilog, La Carlota, La Castellana, Manapla, Murcia, Moises Padilla, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, San Enrique, San Carlos, Sipalay, Talisay and Toboso.
The training workshop aims to integrate the E-CDRA in the LGUs’ Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP), an effective disaster risk reduction instrument that seeks to rationalize the allocation of land uses to reduce exposure of people, assets and economic activities, and also address vulnerabilities by providing safer places to live, sustain livelihood and ensure optimum productivity of natural resources, a press release from the PDRRMO said.
The LGUs who attended the training-workshop were those with CLUPs that are nearing completion or within the review and updating status, including those who are yet to submit their draft for review by the Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC).
Among the major topics discussed which were applied by the participants through workshops and presentations were the Enhanced CDRA policy, the fundamentals of Hazards and climate change and its collection, organization and information, climate change and climate extremes and understanding hazards.
Also included in the course were Understanding PAGASA Climate Projection Data and climate impact, exposure data base development, risk analysis, summarize findings, mainstreaming of DRR -CCA into Land Use Plan and post maintreaming activities.
Each of the 21 LGUs presented their workshop outputs for critiquing. These focused on the inventory of their hazards, records of disasters and hazard; Climate ProjectionData and Climate Impact Chain; Exposure and Risk Analysis and identificaton of their Priority Decision Areas.
The resource training pool were composed of EnP Brechelle Grace Benotapa, Engr. EnP Lorie Ann Bantayan, Engr. Marla Beth Deocadez and Architect Shaira June Rubia, all of DHSUD NIR, and Atty. Mary Julienne Joy Bongcac, EnP of DHSUD 6.
PPDO head and PLUC chair Anna Marie Lucasan said that the activity which is fully supported by Gov. Bong Lacson, is an answer to the national goverment’s call for a zero CLUP backlog by 2028.
With the completion of the E-CDRA training, Lucasan said she hopes the LGUs will already be able to submit their “risk informed” CLUPs. “You are now just one push away”, she further said.
PDRRMO head Irene Belle Plotena, for her part informed the LGU participants that a LDRRM Plan Review is also scheduled and encouraged them to submit their plans for review. She also announced their proposal to conduct another training for GIS experts, and ecouraged those who have completed the E-CDRA training to attend.*PR
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