Ronnie Puno, DILG focused on cleanup after twin storms too

We all have heard about the relief efforts that were done by various government agencies right after the destruction caused by the two typhoons. And the Department of Interior and Local Government is one of those government agencies that took part in this drive. The relief efforts were successful, and rehabilitation efforts were made as well. But other than this, the Department of Interior and Local Government also took part in an important activity right after the destruction has subsided.

The department under the guidance of Secretary Ronnie Puno and Undersecretary also took care of the cleanup operations and its many attached agencies also took part in the said efforts. Just the other week, the department has called for the meeting of governors and mayors in the metro to discuss measures on how to remove the more than 20,000 tons of garbage and debris in the metro. The president has issued a deadline for the local government units to address the stinking problem, and as of the latest count the local government units failed to the meet the deadline but what is important is that the efforts of the local government units continues up to this day. The department made sure that it did everything that it can including the utilization of heavy equipments, but still the number is to enough to cover all grounds. For this reason, the department called on construction companies lent some of their heavy equipments during the clean up drive. Another measure that was implemented and agreed upon weeks ago was the opening of the San Mateo, Montalban and the Rodriguez landfills. It was reported that Rizal Governor Ynares agreed for the opening of these landfills.

Solid Waste Management Forum planned

Another important measure that helped the department and the local government units was the declaration of the state of calamity in the areas affected by the twin storms. If these areas are under the state of calamity, the local government units in these areas can get into emergency contracts with companies in order to rush the cleanup. As a complement to these efforts, the department is also planning to schedule a seminar on solid waste management.

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Military alert on in time for Typhoon Ramil

It is not only the local government units and local and regional disaster and coordinating councils that are preparing for the arrival of Typhoon Ramil. The military is also under alert as of Monday in preparation for the arrival and the destruction that can be brought by the typhoon. The blue alert for the military was approved by General Victor Ibrado, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

The escalation to blue alert will ensure that the military will be ready in case their help on the ground will be needed. When the military is in alert, this means that all of the personnel of the military are required to be on duty 12 hours a day. The Chief of Staff has also ordered that all the unified command units should also form their own version of the Multi-Role Force Battalion. This battalion was activated this past weekend in order to respond to the calamities.

In a statement that was made by the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he said that the assets and the resources of the Armed Forces which include the rubber boats of the Navy have been activated and positioned in Northern Luzon and these crafts are on alert and ready to be used for rescue efforts. The Navy spokesperson on the other hand said that their fleet is on red alert in preparation for the land fall of the newest typhoon. A red alert status means that the personnel are required to be on duty round the clock, and vacations of the personnel are cancelled during this time.

To be specific, the Naval Forces Luzon, the Naval Education and the Training Command and the Naval Forces Southern Luzon have been harnessed and positioned in strategic areas on northern Luzon where the typhoon is expected to hit. The personnel of the Navy is expected to be beef up by naval reservists and backed by the Navy’s Britten Norman BN-2 Islander plane. Eighteen rubber boats will be there as well to back up the fleet plus there will be 13 M-35 trucks, two amphibious trucks and two amphibian trucks.

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BFP adds 33 new fire trucks

With the growing need for fire trucks in many areas and local government units, the Bureau of Fire Protection has added thirty three (33) new fire trucks to its stable. The addition of this new batch of fire trucks will serve its purpose to address the need for flushing the affected areas and these can be used as well for providing and delivering water to evacuees. These new fire trucks of the bureau are expected to be deployed in the National Capital Region, and some will be delivered to CALABARZON.

The procurement of the new set of fire trucks were made after Secretary Ronnie Puno received a report from Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus. The said report coming from the Bureau of Fire Protection underlines the need for new fire trucks, and the said report also underscored the big help of the fire trucks in delivering water to evacuation areas. And of course, the presence of these trucks will also ensure that the department can be more effective in its fire fighting role. According to Mr. Corpus, though the Bureau of Fire Protection helped the victims of the twin typhoons the bureau should also ensure that it will still have its personnel and equipments that can help in putting out fire. Undersecretary Corpus also shared in the report that during the typhoon, the BFP in the National Capital Region has responded to 10 fire calls, and they also acted upon many requests for rescue in many flooded areas.

The Bureau of Fire Protection currently has a list of targeted number of fire trucks for every affected region in the country. For example for Region1, the needed number of fire trucks is 88. In BFP Region 3, the region is in need of 217 fire trucks. For the Bureau of Fire Protection in Region IV A, around 257 fire trucks are needed. And for the Bureau of Fire Protection in the National Capital Region, the area is still in need of 428 fire trucks. As of the last count, the Bureau of Fire Protection has deployed around 596 fire trucks and 6,050 personnel in affected areas. They are expected to help in the cleanup operations and they will be there as well to ration clean water.

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Ronnie Puno calls on LGUs to prepare for Typhoon Ramil

With another supertyphoon set to hit the country, specifically the northern part of the country, the Department of Interior and Local Government has called on its local government units and the local executives to prepare and be ready for the worst. Secretary Ronnie Puno surely knows that taking a typhoon lightly is not an option now and it is for this reason why he called on governors, city and municipal mayors of central and northern Luzon to leave no stones unturned when it comes to preparing the communities and areas for the coming storm.

His call centers on the provinces of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, Apayao and the Batanes Group of Islands. The DILG chief called for the activation of the Local Disaster Coordinating Councils. Based on the latest report and update coming from the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services the newest typhoon that will hit the country was seen 1,070 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan and this new typhoon is said to be packing 195 kilometers per hour near the center and its gustiness can reach up to 230 kilometers per hour. The strength of this typhoon approximates the strength of typhoon ‘Pepeng’ which caused massive destruction and landslides in northern Philippines.

The latest forecast has it that the typhoon is expected to move west northwestward at 17 kilometers per hour and by Tuesday afternoon the said typhoon is expected to be 790 kilometers northeast of Aparri. And by Thursday, the typhoon is expected to make its landfall. The call of Secretary Ronnie Puno is an important one, and a good move considering the past destruction made by typhoons ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng’.

In a statement, the secretary said that it is the duty of the disaster coordinating councils to take the lead in making sure that the disaster control and rescue plans can be activated and can be implemented at the right time. He also echoed the call of the National Disaster Coordinating Council to local officials of critical areas to start the evacuation plans while the typhoon is still days away from making its landfall. Ronnie Puno also cited the need to put up important measures that can help in community preparation like early warning systems and relief and rehabilitation efforts.

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DILG leads in the celebration of National Rural Women’s Day

Last October 15th, the country marked the National Rural Women’s Day and the Department of Interior and Local Government is one of the government agencies that took the lead in the celebration of this event in the country. Secretary Ronnie Puno of the department has called on all local government units and the local chief executives and officials to mark this said event, and he has underscored the need to remember this day by initiating simple yet well intended and important events and activities.

The celebration is done on a yearly basis and this is often celebrated every 15th of October. It is the intent of the celebration to effectively uplift and lift the profile of the rural women and also to make the government and the government more responsive to the needs of the rural women in agriculture and food production. It is also the intent of the celebration to promote different kinds of actions and initiatives that will help raise their profile. For this year’s celebration of the National Rural Women’s Day the theme that was adopted was the ‘Rural Women at the Heart of Innovation. The choice of this theme is significant in the current times. The choice of this theme clearly indicates that there is a compelling need to have a progress against hunger and poverty and it is a requirement as well that the development planners, leaders and policy makers to make that change and shift in their thinking when it comes to women, food security and of course development. The increasing cost of food items is now a crucial issue that needs to be addressed and this is one compelling reason why there is a growing number of hungry and impoverished people.

This issue thus takes center stage in this year’s celebration of the National Rural Women’s Day. To mark the celebration for this year, the office of Secretary Ronnie Puno issued DILG Memo Circular Number 2009-142. The memorandum that was issued by his office underscores the need to celebrate this important day of the year, and the memorandum also explains in detail why there is a need for more initiatives that will uplift the needs and profile of the rural women.

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Citizen charter for every LGUs targeted by DILG, RonniePuno

The Department of Interior and Local Government is targeting to cover all local government units when it comes to having their own Citizen’s Charter. This is one of the major programs of the department under the leadership of Secretary Ronnie Puno. The design and the introduction of a public document like this one is seen as an important move to serve the public and to make sure that red tape can be cut or at least lessened. And now the good news has been shared by the secretary just this week. In a press release from his office, he stated that their office is right on target. To be exact, he shared that nearly 100 percent of all local government units have their own charters, thus ensuring that there will be a better way to deliver social and basic services.

Ronnie Puno has reported that nearly 97 percent of all local government units have their own charters or roughly 1,538 local government units out of the possible 1,591 local government units in the country. The delivery of the charter is a directive under the Anti Red Tape Law of 2007 and the main intent of this law is to cut red tape in government transactions.

What to expect in a citizen charter

So what can you expect from a citizen charter of one local government unit? The citizen charter will include a number of important details related to the operations and the services of the specific local government unit. For example, a charter of one LGU will state the mission and vision of the organization. The charter will also itemize the many front line services of the organization plus this charter will also include the step by step procedure how the services can be availed. The charter will also include information on who is charge for the delivery and the dispensation of these services plus the fees associated with these services if there are any. Secretary Ronnie Puno is happy with this kind of development in his department and he added that this goes to show that their dedication for service and transparency is always there.

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DILG calls for a permanent disaster control plan

It takes two typhoons and the inconveniences associated with it to convince our government to take disaster management plan seriously. One department that takes this kind of plan seriously is the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Secretary Ronnie Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government has called on local government units and local officials in areas affected by the last two typhoons to plan out and to map out a permanent disaster control and rescue plan that they can use in case another disaster of this kind happens to these areas. In an interview conducted with the secretary, he said that the local officials were given a week to prepare and to submit their rescue plans and these rescue plans that they can prepare and submit to the office are the same plans and templates that can be used if there is a threat coming from a typhoon or other kinds of disasters. Secretary Ronnie Puno has met with local officials and has talked to them on how they can be better prepared to handle future calamities. He said that this will serve as a permanent solution to the calamities that will hit the country in the future. He said that it is the purpose of the department to come up with a disaster control plan, and added that there is a need to go beyond the usual relief and rehabilitation efforts.

In the same interview in Camp Crame, the DILG chief said that the prepared plans of these local government units will then be submitted to the Office of the President and copies will be forwarded as well to the National Disaster and Coordinating Council or the NDCC. There are certain things that are included in the plans, as recommended by the office. For example, it suggested that the plans should include the identification of the strategic areas where the government assets and personnel can be positioned well before the calamity strikes. The secretary also shared that as a complement to these plans, the department through the Philippine National Police will deploy 75 new rubber boats in critical areas.

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