Cebu’s disaster response office not ready to respond to disaster

Local

THE province’s disaster preparedness response has been described as “not disaster-ready” and in a “bad state,” as the disaster office operates with just two personnel and no equipment. Yet, quietly sitting in the provincial government’s coffers is nearly P1 billion in unused disaster preparedness funds.

This is the revelation made by Provincial Administrator Joseph Felix Mari “Ace” Durano on Wednesday, July 23, saying the funds are accumulated due to years of underutilization.

Durano said the funds consist of approximately P600 million in trust funds from 2022 to 2024 and an additional P360 million from the current year’s allocation.

The money, mandated by law to be spent exclusively for disaster risk reduction and preparedness, remains untouched in a special account under the Provincial Accounting Office.

“Tungod kay wala nay gamit-gamit for so many years, niabot na og billion,” Durano said.

He attributed the situation to the previous administration’s decision to downgrade the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) from a full-fledged department into a mere division under the Governor’s Office.

With only two staff members, no dedicated equipment, and no command center, the office was left with no capacity to execute its mandate.

In a separate interview, Provincial Budget Officer Danilo Rodas explained that this mechanism prevents the reversion of unused allocations to the national treasury and allows for continuity in disaster resilience programs.

Rodas said that under Republic Act 12001 requires that unspent disaster funds from the General Fund be transferred into a trust fund to preserve them for disaster-related use.

These funds remain valid for five years but must be fully obligated before they expire.

Durano said his initial weeks at the Capitol were marked by the discovery that several provincial offices, including the PDRRMO, had been dissolved or stripped of capacity.

He said this realization came as a shock, noting that he had never felt this overwhelmed even during his early days at the Department of Tourism.

Board Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III has since filed a proposed ordinance to restore the PDRRMO to its former status as a full department.

The reorganization would allow the hiring of additional responders, procurement of equipment, and development of a fully operational command center.

Martinez said one of the directives of Governor Pamela Baricuatro is to activate and enhance the PDRRMO to ensure the province can respond effectively to both natural and human-induced disasters.

In an earlier interview, appointed PDRRMO head Colonel Dennis Francis Pastor, who assumed office on July 1, confirmed that the agency had been neglected for six years.

He found it lacking in basic infrastructure, tools, and manpower.

During his assessment, he noted that other local government units like Danao City had over 100 DRRM personnel with fully equipped response systems, while the province’s central office had just two staff and three responders.

Pastor said the situation left the province vulnerable to disaster events and incapable of mounting swift emergency responses.

He stressed that the lack of sea, air, and land-based mobility assets further complicated rescue efforts in island and remote mountain communities.

He emphasized the urgent need to acquire sea ambulances to serve isolated areas like Camotes and Bantayan islands, where patient transport is often delayed due to irregular ferry schedules.

He said the province now plans to deploy at least two sea ambulances—one in Danao City to serve Camotes Island, and another in San Remigio or Bogo City to cover Bantayan Island.

These will supplement the planned land-based ambulances and a future air ambulance for faster transport during medical emergencies.

Pastor is coordinating with the Provincial Health Office to align disaster funds with Governor Baricuatro’s healthcare agenda, particularly in prepositioning assets and improving patient mobility during disasters.

He said it is critical to improve the province’s capacity for search and rescue, and that responder training and equipment upgrades must be prioritized.

“The funds are available, and that is the way forward—we just improve, refurbish, refit, be strong and be disaster-ready for the remaining months of the year,” Pastor said.

Pastor, a retired Army colonel and a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1992, brings with him extensive experience in crisis response.

He most recently earned a master’s degree in Disaster and Crisis Management from the Asian Institute of Management.

He said restoring the PDRRMO to department status will be a major step forward. It would allow the establishment of structured teams and sufficient staffing.

For now, the office only has three trained responders when it should ideally have at least 21, three teams with seven members each.

Elevating the office’s status would also streamline command structures and ensure that disaster operations are properly led, staffed, and funded.

The PDRRMO receives five percent of the total provincial revenue as mandated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.

However, without a functioning department, most of these funds remained unused.

Durano said that unless structural reforms are made and the proposed ordinance is passed, Cebu risks once again failing to spend its disaster budget.(MyTVCebu)