The city council has approved Ordinance 98, s. 2019 or the “Baguio City Community Disaster Volunteers Ordinance,” which provides the guidelines and funding for the accreditation, mobilization, and protection of Community Disaster Volunteers (CDVs) in Baguio.
The measure is pursuant to Section 13 of Republic Act 10121 or the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010,” which authorizes government agencies, civil society organizations, private sector, and local governments units like Baguio to mobilize individuals or organized volunteers to augment their respective personnel complement and logistical requirements in the delivery of disaster risk reduction programs and activities.
A “volunteer” refers to an individual/person sor group who for reasons arising from their socio-developmental, business and corporate orientation, commitment or conviction, contribute their time, service, and resources, whether full-time or part-time, based on a just and essential social development cause, mission or endeavor in the belief that their activity is mutually meaningful and beneficial to public interest as well as to themselves.
The city government, through the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), shall lead in organizing a corps of community disaster volunteers in the city.
Minimum requirements for CDV applicants are residency or must be bonafide resident of Baguio; 18 to 65 years old; physically fit; must be a volunteer member of the barangay or any accredited people’s organization, nongovernment organization, and civil service organization; and must have at least knowledge and training on community first aid and basic life support and/or community action for disaster response and emergencies, or a volunteer fire brigade.
The certificate of trainings should have been issued by accredited agencies and/or organizations like the CDRRMO, Department of Health, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Red Cross.
Accredited people’s organizations, NGOs, and civil service organizations whose main objective is the delivery of assistance and services may submit a list of their interested members to be included in the roster of community disaster volunteers in the city provided that they meet the above-mentioned minimum qualifications.
In compliance with the requirement of the RA 10121, the ordinance has tasked the CDRRMO to submit the roster of community disaster volunteers to the Office of the Civil for accreditation and inclusion in the database of volunteers. The office is also responsible in the design and preparation of the identification cards to be issued to all accredited CDVs.
The order on the mobilization of accredited volunteers shall come from the local chief executive, who shall call on the accredited community disaster volunteers in the city whenever there is need for additional and complementary services based on the Rapid Damage Assesment and Needs Analysis conducted the CDRRMC within 24 hours on the calamity or disaster affected area/s, to provide the necessary services and assistance in any given area of any particular situation.
The mobilization and use of the services of accredited CDVs shall strictly conform with the on-scene disaster management and operations as provided for under the rules of Incident Command System. Capacity training for volunteers shall form part of the mobilization activities of the CDRRMC.
A volunteer who dies or gets injured while engaged in any of the activities defined under RA 10121 shall be entitled to compensatory benefits and individual personnel accident insurance.
The city government, through the CDRRMC or the barangay DRRM committees, will appropriate funds for the premium/payment of individual personal accident insurance coverage for the accredited CDVs on a yearly basis.
Other government agencies, CSOs, POs, and NGOs whose members are included in the roster of accredited CDVs shall provide its members with insurance and necessary benefits.
To realize the main objective of the program, the CDRRMC is tasked to determine the amount needed for trainings, activities, and other operational expenses to be incorporated in the annual appropriation/budget of the CDRRMO, which is tasked to implement the ordinance.
The ordinance, which shall take effect in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991, was submitted to Mayor Benjamin Magalong for his signature.
Meanwhile, the body through Resolution 403, s. 2019 has requested the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority for a funding assistance for the redevelopment of the Burnham Park.
The development is in line with the “Responsible Tourism” agenda of the city government for 2019 to 2022, which endeavors to reshape tourism promotion through shared enterprise activity approach that is all-inclusive in a sense that it recognizes the fact that businesses grow from tourists and the tourism sector stakeholders should afford tourists with quality services.
The city has been pushing for the redevelopment of Burnham Park, but because of the lack of funds, most developments/rehabilitations were implemented only in a piecemeal or segmented basis.
Thus, the funding request for an opportunity to be included in the national tourism development plan, particularly the “Destination and Eco-Sustainability” or Dreams program of the TIEZA, which has the mandate pursuant to the Tourism Act of 2009 to develop, manage, and supervise tourism infrastructure projects all over the country.
In Resolution 404, s. 2019, the mayor was authorized in behalf of the city government to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the IIRMA Group of Companies for the installation in the city on experimental basis of the latter’s wastewater treatment technology.
At no cost to the city, the study involves the installation of the company’s water treatment products or equipment to sewer lines or water drainage facilities in strategic areas of the city.
The offer is specifically to convert/treat wastewater such as those from toilets and sinks for safe consumption and also for the environment such as rivers when disposed in drainages.
The MOU shall be submitted to the body for confirmation.
May 16, 2024
