Philippines: BJMP-Maasin City imparts disaster preparedness to jail residents

Maasin City, Southern Leyte (PIA) --Around 70 jail residents at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Maasin City, participated the Seminar/Workshop on Disaster Preparedness, March 5-6, 2014 at the MCJ Visiting Area here.

City Jail Wardress SInsp. Arlene Barraca in her welcome address said that the activity will prepare the residents on how to respond to disasters whether at the city jail or at home. "Each one of us should be prepared," she said.

“We had experienced calamities recently, like typhoons Yolanda and Basyang, earthquake, and fire that hit Philpost, just near the city jail, with no idea on where to go, especially the jail boarders,” Barraca revealed, noting that Maasin City is prone to disasters.

In response to the inspection conducted by the concerned agency, which reported that Maasin City is a prone-calamity area, a two-day disaster preparedness seminar/workshop was conducted, Barraca who initiated the two-day activity told.

“Whether we will be at home or at the city jail, you will be given knowledge on how to respond to any disaster,” Barraca addressing the jail boarders.

Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Consultant Danilo Atienza, during the opening program was introduced as one of the resource speakers .

He disclosed that disaster preparedness is only a part of disaster management as a whole. "The seminar-workshop will give inputs in responding calamities, particularly typhoon." There are four characteristics of a typhoon, he said such as: 1) anticipate what will happen; 2) how to respond; 3) support capacities; and how to recover from the disaster.

”Because of the climate change, there are abnormalities in our environment,” Atienza said , expecting that the participants will learn on how to respond to disasters. “Prevention is better than a pound of cure,” he further said.

Among other resource speakers during the two-day seminar/workshop on disaster preparedness were Luz Abiera from the private sector, representatives from the Bureau of Fire Protection and PAG-ASA, among others. (PIA-SoLEyte)