PGIN creates Provincial Resiliency Task Force

Provincial rescue team prepares their equipment (file photo)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Laoag City—Moving on beyond disaster preparedness, the Ilocos Norte provincial government has changed its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) to a task force on provincial resiliency meant to include threats on terrorism and possible outbreak of diseases as part of the action plan.

The new Provincial Resiliency Task Force (PRTC), Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos said aims to prepare Ilocos Norte for unexpected eventualities based on the province’s given and uncontrolled situations.

In an emergency meeting attended by barangay chairpersons living in barangays highly vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and representatives of the PDRRMC now renamed PRTC, Ms. Marcos solicited their proposed action plans through a workshop at the provincial auditorium to cover climate change, El Niño, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, and terrorist attacks among others.

As several diseases such as dengue, chikungguniya, HIV/AIDS and typhoid had figured in the province lately, Ms. Marcos said there is a need to take all these resiliency issues seriously.

“It’s a big deal to be prepared. A lot of things can be prepared for. The other things you can’t prepare but you also have to be able to have a quick response or an early recovery. So, we really need to practice,” Ms. Marcos said after attending the World Cities Summit in Singapore to build resilience.

Citing the proximity of China to Ilocos Norte, Ms. Marcos also noted the need to build an instant emergency reaction in case of terrorist attacks or of war.

“Nakakapraning nga ‘yung giyera but siempre, nagkakainitan na sa Spratlys at medyo frontline na naman tayo diyan dahil napakalapit natin sa China e hindi tayo nakakasigurado. We should always be prepared so that our people are protected from any kind of attack,” she said.

Taking its cue from the experiences of other countries, Ilocos Norte has adopted several ways to build community resilience both in rural and urban barangays here.

After identifying at least 70 affected Barangays, 14 of which belong to the most vulnerable barangays, each of the barangay chairpersons and PRTC members, composed of the Philippine National Police, Maritime, Philippine Army, Coastguard, Provincial Health Office, Environment and Natural Resources Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Engineering, and Office of the Barangay Affairs among others, shared inputs on how to specifically create a resilient province, towns, cities and villages in times of need.

As heavy rains brought about by a low pressure area engulfed northern Luzon, Ilocos Norte has started to preposition its heavy equipment from strategic places both in the first and second districts of the province.

Cluster towns and barangays particularly those in low-lying areas and other vulnerable areas were formed for better coordination and quick response operation.