The Mandaluyong City local government on Monday, Dec. 11, was recognized by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for its excellent disaster risk reduction and sustainability programs and initiatives.
(Photo from Mandaluyong LGU)
During the 23rd Gawad KALASAG National Awarding Ceremony held at the Manila Hotel, former Mandaluyong City Mayor and now Vice Mayor Menchie Abalos, together with her husband, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benhur Abalos, received the prestigious Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence as the representatives of Mayor Ben Abalos.
"Nakamit ng Mandaluyong ang Beyond Compliant rating na nangangahulugang labis na sumusunod ang lungsod sa mga itinakdang pamantayan sa pagtatatag at kakayahan ng kanilang Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (LDRRMCOs) sa ilalim ng Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 o Republic Act No. 10121 (Mandaluyong City achieved the Beyond Compliant rating which means the city's LDRRMCO is beyond compliant to the mandated standards under the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 or Republic Act No. 10121)," the city government said.
Gawad KALASAG ranks cities and municipalities based on the following criteria: Structure (9 indicators), Competency (12 indicators), Management Systems (3 indicators), Enabling Policies (1 indicator), Knowledge Management and Advocacy (2 indicators), and Partnership and Participation (2 indicators).
Out of 16 cities and one municipality in the National Capital Region (NCR), five were found to be “beyond compliant.” These are Malabon City, Muntinlupa City, Parañaque City, and Quezon City.
Meanwhile, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, and Valenzuela City governments were recognized as “fully compliant.”
The Gawad KALASAG is a mandatory assessment for all Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices as they implement the provisions of Republic Act No. 10121 Sections 11 and 12, or the institutionalization of LDRRMOs or LDRRMCs, including the allocation and utilization of the Local DRRM Fund.
The city government announced that its multi-hazard, automated, and hyper-local early warning system “Project MENCHIE” (Mandaluyong Enhanced monitoring of Natural hazards and Climate for Household Information and Education) was upgraded as the city continues to boost its climate and natural disaster monitoring.
The new features of Project MENCHIE include a Multi-Disaster Automated Risk Assessment Generator for data such as heat index, six-hour rain forecast, and six-hour accumulated rain for a specific barangay.
This map-based multi-risk assessment generator provides barangay-level color-coded risk assessment for both observed and forecast weather events which updates every 10 minutes, giving residents an idea on which barangays are currently experiencing and will expect heavy rains or extreme heat.
The generator also shows other possible hazards that can affect the Greater Metro Manila Area (GMMA) such as earthquake-induced landslide, flood, ground rupture, ground shaking, liquefaction, rain-induced landslides, storm surge, and tsunamis.
Another upgrade of the system is its capability to send alerts via SMS, which are also emailed to barangay officials, to warn them 15 to 30 minutes in advance if there are incoming lightning strikes and thunderstorms over/near their vicinity.
This gives barangay officials the capability to disseminate warnings or alerts to their respective constituents. They will also receive via email a 24/7 daily weather forecast summary which they can easily disseminate to the community.