BY: AMOR Y. SALUDAR
CORDOVA, Cebu, August 11 (PIA) --- The Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) conducted the 1st Barangay Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation at the Cordova Home Village resort on August 8 with about 100 participants from the 13 barangays of Cordova town, Cebu.
Cordova mayor Adelino Sitoy in his opening message thanked the PIA for choosing his town for this activity. He said, Cordova is an island part of Mactan that is vulnerable to disaster risks mentioning the oil spill last year that ruined the mangroove plantations in the coastal barangays.
Sitoy enjoined the various representatives and officials from the barangays, students, and national government workers in Cordova to participate and be concern with the activities that preserve the environment.
Resource speakers discussed topics significant to disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation were Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (PDRRMO) Balatazar Tribunalo Jr., Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 7) regional technical director for forestry Eduardo Inting, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD 7) civil defense office Allen Foilan Cabaron II and Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Mactan, chief meteorologist Engr. Al Quiblat.
According to PIA-7 regional director, Minerva Newman, Cordova is being adopted for its climate change advocacy campaign project.
"The 1st Barangay Summit on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation here is just the start of a series of events and activities to showcse the town's barangays as resilient communities," Newman added.
Newman also urged the participants to act now, do their share to care for themselves first by taking care of their environment. "It's time to change our ways-- 'Nagbabago na ang Panahon, Panahon na Para Magbago," she said citing the campaign's branding message.
Mayor Sitoy said the municipality will exert all effort to contribute to advocacy campaign of the government on disaster risk reduction. “We will increase our preparedness in the area of risk reduction,” he added.
The mayor encouraged the participants of the summit not to cause damage to coral reefs and mangroves as these are strong defense against storm surge.
Part of the Barangay Summit event is the commitment signing of the lead agencies including the PIA, Climate Change Commission, the province of Cebu and the municipality of Cordova as well as those that attended the Summit.
The event concluded with a tree planting activity at barangay Datag, Cordova Cebu where all the Summit attendees planted about 50 fruit trees along the side of the barangay roads. (mbcn/ays/PIA7)
