‘Oro to benefit in capacitating neighbors on disaster response’

IT is to Cagayan de Oro City’s interest and benefit that it capacitates not only its 80 barangays but also its neighboring local governments in disaster resiliency and response, City Hall’s disaster response chief said.

Nic Jabagat, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD), said during last Thursday’s edition of the ‘In Focus’ program series hosted by the City Information Office that City Hall is committed to collaborating and building its partnerships with the Provincial Capitol of Misamis Oriental and neighboring local governments in northern Mindanao in disaster preparedness and response.

And through the city’s Disaster Resiliency Complex which is projected to be completed within two years, Jabagat said they can provide pieces of training and lend its expertise and equipment to help neighboring local governments.

“We’re not only capacitating our 80 barangays but also our neighbors in the province and other regions,” he said.

Jabagat said Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy shares their office’s vision for increased collaboration with the city’s neighbors and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to enhance the city’s capacity for disaster preparedness, response, and resiliency.

“In case something happens to us, we can ask for their help (and vice versa),” he said.

Work on the five-story Disaster Resiliency Complex in Zone 8, Barangay Carmen is ongoing after last year’s groundbreaking and it will house the CDRRMD’s main office, a training facility, and an operations command center.

The facility will also house offices of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, and the Roads and Traffic Administration.

Jabagat said they are also planning to establish extension offices in Barangays Agusan and Lumbia to house additional emergency response teams and vehicles and heavy equipment, respectively.

Mayor Uy’s administration is also finishing construction of the new Operations Kahusay Og Kalinaw Center to serve the city’s downtown area. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)