OCD chief visits calamity areas in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines — In his first move as newly appointed administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, Ariel Nepomuceno met with OCD officials and local government executives in Northern Mindanao, which was recently hit by heavy rainfall and flash floods.

They conducted a post-calamity assessment to come up with recommended actions and solutions amidst the new kind of weather disturbance.

“I was tasked by President Marcos and DND (Department of National Defense) Secretary (Jose) Faustino to personally visit the calamity-affected areas in Northern Mindanao to find out the problems that caused the massive flooding and destroyed infrastructure,” Nepomuceno said. “The President considers disaster preparedness of our country as one of his vital concerns.”

During the visit, he met with Misamis Occidental Gov. Henry Oaminial and several mayors of Northern Mindanao to discuss measures on expediting post-calamity assessment and recommendations.

One of the solutions is to have an advanced alarm and radio communication system for the coming heavy rainfall to accurately inform the community to enable them to be prepared for disasters.

Nepomuceno also proposed a strategic solution to flash floods by encouraging citizens to plant more trees in mountains and around waterways.