Disaster Preparedness

A lot of us Filipinos believe in “SUMPA” and one of which is “Knocking on wood” – if someone will say ‘let us prepare ourselves for any kind of disaster to come’ – we usually react by responding – Simba ko and we knock on wood. But in reality, disasters will come whether man-made or a natural disaster. We can even read it in the Bible and other history books. It will come like a thief in the night!

Our country observes National Disaster Resilience Month this July with the theme: “BIDAng Pilipino: Building a Stronger Filipino Well-Being towards Disaster Resilience.” The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) lead and promote Disaster Preparedness nationwide.

The Churches all over the country work hand in hand with different agencies to raise the awareness and readiness of our countrymen especially those living in disaster-prone areas. In the Archdiocese of Davao, the observance is spearheaded by the Archdiocesan Social Action Center through its program called Archdiocesan Disaster Preparedness (Adprep) and its action is being undertaken by the Parish Disaster Action Response Team (PDART).

This is a very serious matter. We should give due attention to this call. We always heard “ligtas ang may alam.” So everyone should know how to prepare ourselves in times of disaster.