BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) ramped up its monitoring and preparedness measures with the onset of the rainy season.
The RDRRRMC on Monday, June 2, convened for a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment meeting where it was decided to place its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on blue alert for 24/7 monitoring and preparedness and response readiness for possible effects that the habagat and the rainy season may bring to the region.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the start of the southwest monsoon on May 30, and on June 2, the onset of the rainy season. The Cordillera region has been experiencing cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms in the past few days.
The RDRRMC looked into the prevailing weather conditions and preparedness updates from the local DRRM councils of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province and from the city DRRM office of Baguio.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau also reported on rain-induced landslide and flood-prone barangays and their safety recommendations.
PAGASA shared the forecast that one to two tropical cyclones may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility this month of June and around 11 to 19 TCs in the next months until November.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, as chair of the RDRRMC Disaster Response pillar, assured ample supply of food and non-food items with a stockpile of 41,122 available Family Food Packs at the regional warehouse in La Trinidad in Benguet and 14,680 FFPs strategically prepositioned in local government units across the region.
The DSWD-CAR also reported around P49.94 million worth of non-food items available and a standby fund of almost P3 million.
Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Regional Director and RDRRMC chairperson Albert Mogol reminded all DRRM stakeholders in the region to put in place all the necessary precautionary and preparedness measures to ensure the safety of the population and the communities.
Mogol also reiterated the importance of suspending socio-economic activities such as trekking, caving and small-scale mining during inclement weather, as well as the implementation of pre-emptive evacuation, if deemed necessary. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
