Department of Interior and Local Government regional director Rodolfo Razul, vice chair of the regional disaster coordinating council, said preparedness of people during disaster can be determined based on results.
However he also said that the local government units in the provinces, cities, municipalities and down to the barangays play an important role in preparing the community to respond to any calamities or disasters.
Despite the series of trainings and capability building, Razul said, something still has to be done and rating the preparedness in a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 as the highest, people in Southern Mindanao could be rated at 6.
This needs a lot of education and planning, and despite the 5 percent fund allocated to disaster management program, Razul said, it would be better if it will be raised to 15 percent.
Razul also said that the 5 percent allocation of the budget for disaster management are mostly used during and after occurrence of calamity usually in buying basic goods needed for immediate distribution to the affected individuals.
But local government units have never stopped in their preparedness campaign because they have their own programs and plans, and presently have been finding ways to access resources other than the regular mandated 5 percent allocation from the budget.
Meanwhile Director Carmelito Lupo of the Office of the Civil Defense reported the occurrence of six major floods during the first six months of 2006 and seven floods in 2005.
Comparing the occurrence of major disasters, the year 2005 had 10 while the first six months of 2006 already had seven. Minor disasters in 2005 had 19 while 15 in 2006 (January to June).
In 2005, 29 were dead with 11 injured and five missing while the first six months of 2006 had 4 dead victims, five injured and one missing.
The disasters in 2005 affected 15,350 families with estimated damages placed at P$225 million while the 2006 disaster had affected 6,004 families and damages to crops and properties cost P$68.7 million.
