The Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office No. XIII, represented by Ms. Elaine L. Galido, Senior Geologist, and Ms. Liza T. Pacete, Geologist II, took part in the three-day workshop for the updating of the Caraga Regional Risk Profile on September 8 to 10, 2015 at the Executive Function Hall of Goat-2-geder Hotel and Restaurant in Butuan City. The said workshop was conducted by the Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC).
The Caraga Regional Risk Profile workshop aims to update the Regional Risk Profile which was crafted in 2012 incorporating the MGB’s 1:10,000 scale geohazard maps, NEDA’s vulnerability assessment and other relevant information. This serves as the planning environment of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan (DRRMP) and a guide in the identification of the strategies, programs, projects and activities towards the goal of reducing the impact of hazards (Rationale and Objective, Caraga Risk Profile 2012).
The Office of Civil Defense invited selected members of the RDRRMC which include the representatives from the PDRRMC of Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, CDRRMC of Butuan City and National Line Agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Red Cross, SIKAP Inc., Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office No. XIII (MGB ROXIII). Some of the said agencies were not able to participate.
The first day of the workshop started with an opening program by the secretariat. It was then followed by the presentation of the overview and mechanics of the workshop by Ms. Lorene S. Catedral, Head of the Planning and Training of OCD Caraga. Engr. Emmanuel Z. Gidacan, Chief of Project Development and Investment Programming Division (PDIPD) of NEDA Caraga, gave a presentation on “Caraga Regional Risk Profile and Updating of Data Gaps” and the “Climate Change Projection”. MGB ROXIII representatives, Ms. Elaine L. Galido and Ms. Liza T. Pacete, presented the status of the 1:10, 000 scale Geohazard Mapping and Assessment. The afternoon session focused on the workshop on the data updates of the profile in each of the five provinces including Butuan City.
The workshop continued on the second day. It comprised data gathering and consolidation of the relevant information from CY 2012 to present to be incorporated in the Risk Profile which includes the flooding, landslide, tsunami, earthquake, typhoon, and fire incidents, biological hazards and human-induced hazards such as armed conflict. The accounting of the elements at risk of these natural, man-made and biological hazards was also included in the workshop.
During the third day, Mr. Manuel Luis M. Ochotorena, Chairperson of the Caraga RDRRMC and Regional Director of OCD, delivered a message. It was followed by a presentation and the critiquing of the workshop outputs. Only the PDRRMC representatives of Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte and Butuan City were able to give their respective presentations. The PDRRMC representatives of Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur were not able to attend the workshop but they were required to submit their data updates through email.
Further enhancements of the workshop outputs shall be made and further steps shall be taken in the updating of the Caraga Regional Risk Profile. The RDRRMC aims to finish the final document before the end of 2015.