Saturday, May 7, 2011

Emulate Camotes on disaster programs, towns told





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CEBU towns were called on to emulate the disaster risk programs of San Francisco, Camotes island which recently bagged a United Nations award for disaster reduction last week.

Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia, who also heads the Mayor's League of the Philippines-Cebu chapter, lauded San Francisco, Camotes Mayor Aly Arquillano for his leadership that led to his town winning the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction.

San Francisco, Camotes will receive a US $50,000 grant equivalent to P2.1 million which will be used for the town’s two million trees project.

The amount will also support the town’s Food for Work Project.

The Sasakawa Award “is a symbol of excellence and outstanding achievement in environmental inspiration and action,” said the UN Environment Program (UNEP), which sponsors the prize.

In a phone interview, Garcia said Cebu's towns are fully aware of disaster risk reduction programs since they had long been attending seminars and forums on this held by the UN.

“Each town has its own unique way of managing disaster. Camotes is too small it’s very easy to manage. The bigger the towns, the bigger your scope, the bigger are your plans also for the management of your town,” Garcia said.

The MLP president and mayor said he was happy that the town received the award and said there are similar programs in other Cebu towns which were also qualified to win the award.

Garcia said he would call on other mayors to focus their efforts on solid waste management.

In Dumanjug town, Garcia said he is campaigning for barangay captains to implement their own solid waste management program.

He cited the importance of community participation in implementing disaster reduction and solid waste management programs in Cebu's towns.

“This (garbage) problem is all over the province of Cebu as well as the whole Philippines,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he plans to set up a material recovery facility (MRF) for Dumanjug town with assistance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7).


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