THE OFFICE of Civil Defense (OCD) XI will train and capacitate indigenous peoples (IPs), especially those who live in remote and landslide-prone areas, to better prepare them for calamities in the region.
During the Davao City Disaster Radio interview, Ednar Dayanghirang, OCD XI regional director, said IPs living in remote barangays and municipalities should know how to respond to anticipated disasters.
“Kung aduna’y baha or landslides didto, using the culture and traditions of IPs, makahimo sila’g response nga kaugalingon ra nila even before the barangay reaches them,” Dayanghirang said.
Dayanghirang also mentioned citizens who live in coastal communities from the areas of Davao Occidental to Davao de Oro to equip themselves with knowledge on how to respond to storm surges.
“While those in the barangay are trained, the people are still unprepared. So we want some form of training and organizing from these communities, selecting those who are really vulnerable,” Dayanghirang said.
The OCD-XI continues to collaborate with different agencies in identifying high-risk areas.
“Ang bottomline is community resilience. This is the people, this is beyond the government. While responses and resources are there, atoa pud dapat silang i-train and the Office of Civil Defense is capable of doing this,” he added.
