CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “Walang kahulugan ang progreso at kaunlaran na mayroon ang probinsya kung hindi naman preparado sa anumang kalamidad na maaaring tumama sa Pampanga.”
[Progress is nothing, if the province is not resilient and prepared for calamities.]
This was what Vice Governor Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda, now Pampanga Acting Governor, said in the Gawad Kalasag (Kalamidad at sakuna Labanan Sariling Galing and kaligtasan) 2018 National Validation held at the Benigno Aquino Hall, Capitol Compound held here last Wednesday (July 4).
The national validation meeting was attended by members of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) headed by the acting governor, provincial administrator Atty. Andres Pangilinan Jr., Board Members Rosve Henson and Jerome Tubig and PDRRMO Officer Angelina Blanco among others.
At present, Pampanga is one of the most progressive provinces in the country which always extends help to other regions most especially in times of disasters.
“The province is always open to help other places and regions in times of disasters,” Pineda added.
Pineda is also honored that out of the 14 finalists competing for the Gawad Kalasag 2018, Pampanga is leading among the top 3.
It can be recalled that in the world’s 2nd worst eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, Pampanga received a lot of help from other regions.
Now that Pampanga has already recovered, it’s time to give back.
According to Board Member Henson, chair of the Committee on Safety and Security, the province is thankful for all the help that it received during the eruption.
Henson also added that with the initiation of the Vice Governor in the PDRRMC, the province is always prepared for calamities and natural disasters not just for Pampanga, but also for other places and regions in the country.
The younger Pineda, Henson said, always assembles teams to be part of rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
It can be remembered that the Vice Governor led a team in Tacloban, Nueva Ecija and Compostela Valley for relief operations.
Meanwhile, PDRRMO head Angelina Blanco proudly shared that the province is ready in terms of mitigation, rescue and rehabilitation, evacuation centers, and relief operations, among others.
Pampanga, she said, has complete rescue equipment to be used by respondents who shall augment the capacities of Local Government Unit (LGU).
With the efforts also made by PDRRMC and the members of Nanay Community Workers (NCW), which has more than 8,000 active members, the flow of information dissemination from the grassroots level is organized.
by Leah Isidro De Fiesta
