Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong is confident the city government of Baguio will become a Resilient City by 2026.
He said this after receiving positive feedback from personnel of the city government that participated in a technical workshop on Integrated Planning and Implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Incheon, Republic of Korea Nov. 13 to 16 led by Engr. Charles Carame of the City Health Services Office.
He ordered the immediate creation of a technical working group that will work on the integration of local plans related to climate change and disaster risk reduction as the first step of the city government towards achieving disaster resiliency.
Baguio City’s aim to become a resilient city by 2026 is anchored on the need to prepare for the inevitable and grim effects of climate change, the mayor said.
He said attaining the goal in line with the international “Making Cities Resilient (MCR) 2030” program will be the city’s focus in the next three years to make the city not only resilient but also “safe, inclusive, innovative and sustainable” in face of the looming impact of global warming.
MCR2030, a flagship project of the United Nations, is said to be “a unique cross-stakeholder initiative for improving local resilience through advocacy, sharing knowledge and experiences, establishing mutually reinforcing city-to-city learning networks, injecting technical expertise, connecting multiple layers of government, and building partnerships.”
It provides support to make cities worldwide safer, preventing risks, promoting innovation and investments, and building resilience through the delivery of a three-stage roadmap to urban resilience, providing tools, access to knowledge, and monitoring and reporting tools.
A total of 1,603 cities worldwide have joined the program. In the Philippines, only Makati City has so far achieved resiliency status.
Baguio City through the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) applied for MCR2023 compliance in 2021 by making a commitment to strive “to become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2023 and commits to reducing disaster and climate risk and continue to improve sustainability by taking actions to enhance resilience.”
Earlier, CDRRMO Local DRRM Officer II Stephanie Trinidad said the city has passed the first of the three-stage roadmap namely awareness, planning and implementation.
The mayor said to achieve a Resilient City status by 2026, the city government will collaborate with national and international organizations for the needed capacity building training of personnel. – Jessa Mardy P. Samidan
