PAGASA seeks support from LGUs, civil society in reaching out to 'marginalized' for disaster risk awareness
The country's weather bureau said it is willing to work with civil society organizations to disseminate disaster risk awareness information to the marginalized sector.

In the event titled "MAGHANDA: Communicating Hazards, Risks, and Early Warning for Policymakers," the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday, Jan. 23, responded to a question about the level of disaster preparedness knowledge of those in the "lower" sector of society.
PAGASA Assistant Weather Specialist Chief Sharon Juliet Arruejo said the agency hopes to join forces with the civil society in providing information, education, communication (IEC) in various local government units (LGUs).
"As of now, we do not have programs for the marginalized sector, but in our conduct of IEC in LGUs, we hope to be with the civil societies so they will be the ones who will relay the information," she said.
Moreover, Arruejo said "leadership on ground" is important, as the order of the officials are the ones being obeyed by the public.
"We need the support of the LGUs because we cannot reach them all out," she said.
Arrueja said PAGASA has ongoing partnerships with local governments because they are the ones who will be trained in information dissemination.
"The roles of the local chief executives as well as the barangay heads are significant," she added.