Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto lauded the successful efforts of the city’s disaster response teams a day after super typhoon “Karding” hit Luzon, including Metro Manila.
During the weekly flag raising ceremony held on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Sotto thanked the staff of over 1,500 city hall employees who were mobilized as part of the city’s Incident Management or Command Team.
“Masasabi po natin naging maganda ang response at aksyon natin dito sa Pasig. Relatively, tahimik kahit panahon ng bagyo. Disaster response po ang inaatupag natin (We can say we responded and took action well here in Pasig. Relatively, it has been peaceful in the city even amid the typhoon season. We are focusing on our disaster response),” Sotto said.
The mayor commended the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD), the City Environment & Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Solid Waste Management Office (SWMO), Clean and Green, and the Peace and Order Department (POD) for their contributions.
Sotto reminded them that there is always “room for improvement” in their disaster response protocols and measures.
“Ang trabaho ng DRRM, siguro 90 percent o higit pa, ay talagang paghahanda, mula sa training hanggang sa planning. Ang bagyo, ilang oras lang ‘yan pero ang paghahanda natin, year-long po ‘yan. Hindi tumitigil...’Yung panahon na hindi na tayo nagi-improve, ‘yun po ang pinakadelikadong panahon (Over 90 percent of the DRRM’s job is dedicated to preparation, from training to planning. The storm itself lasts only for a few hours, but preparing for the storm is a years-long process. It doesn’t stop. The time we stop improving will be the most perilous),” Sotto said.
The mayor recalled it had been 13 years since Typhoon Ondoy, considered one of the strongest and most disastrous typhoons, hit the country in 2009.
He honored the veterans of the disaster response team who served the city during that difficult time, calling them the “strongest” members of the local government.
“Nakita natin, in the last 13 years, madaming improvements mula sa ating flood control, hanggang sa skills and capacities ng ating DRRMO mismo (We saw in the last 13 years, we’ve made many improvements in our flood control and the skills and capacities training of our DRRMO),” he said.
After Karding, the local government will conduct new assessments to improve disaster response.
Pasig on ‘red alert’
More than 600 families evacuated their homes and sought shelter in the 12 open evacuation centers in Pasig, as the city was placed on red alert on Sunday, Sept. 25, due to super typhoon Karding.
The city activated its Incident Management or Command Team to help residents safely evacuate and respond to possible flooding and other potential disaster risk outcomes.
Sotto checked the status and conditions of the evacuation centers and other areas during and after the typhoon.
No casualties and minimal damages were reported in the city.
Sotto is grateful that the city was not severely affected by Karding. He asked his constituents to pray for those who died in other parts of the country that were severely affected and damaged by the typhoon.
The city was placed on blue alert on Monday, Sept. 26, simultaneous with the deactivation of the incident command team and the return of evacuees to their homes.