DAGUPAN CITY– Another day to remember in Dagupan City.

Almost 16 years after this city was hit by a devastating earthquake, the city council passed a resolution declaring July 16 every year as Dagupan City Disaster Preparedness Day.

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, Sanggunaing Panlungsod presiding officer, announced the significance of the date during the city’s Agew na Dagupan (Dagupan Day) celebration last Tuesday at the city plaza.

The resolution, authored by Councilors Alex de Venecia, Jose Netu Tamayo and Farah Marie Decano, emphasized the citizenry’s awareness and preparedness in times of calamities as Dagupan had its own share of the devastating July 16, 1990 earthquake.

It will be recalled that at 4:30 p.m. on July 16, 1990, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck northern and central Luzon Island.

The sponsors cited Philippines being considered one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world and rated as the country with the most number of natural disasters.

The city, aside from the 1990 earthquake, is also often visited by strong typhoons and destructive floodings

Meanwhile, Emma Molina, the city agriculturist, said the city is one of the five cities in Asia chosen to implement the Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE).

The project ‘aims to reduce vulnerability of our communities through enhanced preparedness and mitigation of disaster’.

She reported that the participation of eight pilot barangays has been accomplished and the remaining 24 will follow before the year ends.

PROMISE is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – funded project implemented in 5 Asian cities which include Chittagong (Bangladesh), Hyderabad (Pakistan), Kalutara (Sri Lanka) and Da Nang (Vietnam).

The workshops in the eight barangays here included: understanding disaster and disaster risk management, disaster risk management and governance, barangay hazard vulnerability-capacity assessment, risk reduction measures and disaster risk management planning.

The barangay risk reduction planning discusses the importance of having various measures of preparedness, such as the hazard monitoring, establishing early warning system, communication protocols, public awareness, organizational strengthening, training and indigenous and appropriate technologies.

Each pilot barangay shall be expected to have prepared action plans before, during and after a disaster by the end of the program. – EVA

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