To ensure the safety and wellness of all its residents in times of disasters and emergencies, the Pasig City local government has started the house-to-house distribution of Emergency Go Bags to Pasigueños on Monday, Jan. 29.
Pasig City Emergency Go Bags
The city government said each Pasigueño family will receive one Emergency Go Bag containing the following emergency supplies and equipment:
- Flash light
- Glowstick
- Whistle
- Thermal blanket
- Heavy duty scissors
- Zip lock bag
- Sticker
- Magnet
- Family disaster preparedness booklet
- First aid kit (hard case containing alcohol pads, povidone iodine, cotton balls, sterile gauze, medical tape, adhesive antiseptic strip, triangular bandage, elastic bandage)
"Dito sa lungsod ng Pasig, sineseryoso natin ang disaster risk reduction and management. Dapat handa tayo sa kung ano man ang pwedeng mangyari (Here in the city of Pasig, we take disaster risk reduction and management seriously. We have to be prepared for anything that can possibly happen)," Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said.
Pasig Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) Chief Bryant Wong explained that the program aims to provide each family in the city with an Emergency Go Bag containing everything they may need in order to survive during calamities and other disasters.
Vice Mayor Dodot Jaworski and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo stressed the importance of being knowledgeable not just on how to use the Emergency Go Bag, but also the location of evacuation centers and triage areas when disaster strikes.
The city government reminded residents about the following:
1. The posting of schedules of the house-to-house distribution of the Go Bags is from Monday to Friday. Residents are instructed to just wait for the distribution team to go to their homes.
2. Each family will receive one Emergency Go Bag as the distribution is based on the PasigPass QR Code. If there are three families in a household, three PasigPass QR Codes will be needed to be scanned and three Emergency Go Bags will be provided.
3. Prepare a proof of identity. The use of PasigPass QR Code of other people is strictly prohibited.
4. If no one is available to receive the go bag, the distribution team will leave a form on how to claim the Emergency Go Bag.
5. Those living in condominiums will have a different schedule. The distribution team is now coordinating with the condominium and Bliss administrators.
Disaster preparedness
Aside from the Emergency Go Bag, the city government continuously launch programs and initiatives boosting its disaster risk reduction and management capabilities as well as various drills and seminars for Pasigueños about emergency response and survival.
In November last year, Pasig City conducted the 4th Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) which highlighted the proper procedures and protocols in case an earthquake strikes the city and other disaster risk reduction initiatives.
"Kaiba ang nangyaring NSED ngayong araw dahil bukod sa pag-duck, cover, and hold at evacuation drill, ay nagkaroon din ng simulation ng ilang scenario upang masubok din ang kahandaan ng paraan ng pag-responde mula sa Response Cluster ng Incident Management Team ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Pasig, kabilang ang pamunuan ng Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP) (The NSED held today is different in that aside from the duck, cover, and hold procedure and evacuation drill, the city also conducted a simulation of different scenarios to test the preparedness and response of the Response Cluster of the Incident Management Team of the city government and the management of PLP)," the local government unit (LGU) said.
"Bukod sa initial assessment, nagkaroon din ng partisipasyon ang Barangay Emergency Responders na naging katulong ng Pasig City Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) at iba pang responders sa scene (Aside from the initial assessment, Barangay Emergency Responders also assisted the Pasig City Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office and other responders on the scene)," it added.
Some of the simulation conducted during the drill included hazardous materials (hazmat) response and management, ensuring that all students have been evacuated and safely proceeded to the evacuation area, responding to a fire in a PLP building, conducting of Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA), and search and rescue operations and Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM).
The city government also conducted power simulation and facility testing at the city hall after the evacuation process of its personnel and visitors.
"Noong matapos na ang proseso ng pag-evacuate sa kanya-kanyang evacuation areas ay pinatay ang supply ng kuryente at tinest ang generator sets (gensets) sa city hall. Ito ay para masubukan ang kakayahan ng gensets ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Pasig kung sakaling magkaroon ng power interruption habang may sakuna o kailanganin ang emergency power supply (After the evacuation procedure, the electricity at the city hall was shut down and its generator sets were turned on to test its capabilities in case a power interruption occurs during disasters or when there's a need for an emergency power supply)," the city government explained.
It added that based on the results of the simulation, the city government will be able to design plans to look for solutions for its findings and ensure the continuous operation of the city hall in case of power loss.