In line with the festivities of the 57th World Rotaract Week for the Cebu Council of Rotaract Clubs of Rotary International District 3860, a collaboration between the Rotaract Club of Cebu and the Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente – University of San Carlos bear fruit to the Rotaract District’s pioneering Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Training last March 15, 2024, at Cebu City Hall.
Dubbed ANDAM! Academy, by which ANDAM stands for Advancing kNowledge to DRRM Awareness and Movement, brought necessary insights and ignited grass-roots DRRM advocacy for Rotaractors of the participating Rotaract Clubs of the council. The activity also supports District Rotaract Representative (DRR) Mark Glen Baldo’s challenge in the conduct of DRRM activities and training in District 3860.
ANDAM! Academy’s Lead Facilitator is Rotaract Club of Cebu’s Assistant Secretary Emil Joshua Pugosa, RN, EMT, to whom he imparted his knowledge and experience from working in the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) in the significance and urgency of preparing Cebuanos in times of disasters. He first laid the background by presenting statistical data and existing legal policies – particularly the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction tailor-fitted with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and its Philippine counterpart, RA 10121 – Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. Participating Rotaractors are grouped thereafter to share suggestions on the existing DRRM policies in various creative interpretations, from a tableau, a talk show, or a campaign.
Equipped with these discussions, Asec.Pugosa further discussed the Disaster Formula – an incremental equation of identified hazards multiplied by the vulnerabilities faced by communities leading to a disaster waiting to occur. Four Thematics of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management were also added to the mix – Prevention and Mitigation through non-structural and structural measures pushing for outright avoidance of risks, hazards, and impending disasters; Preparedness through continuous education in anticipation, response, and recovery from a disaster, including measures in various hazards both natural and man-made; Response through provision of necessary resources in lifesaving, incident stabilization, and property preservation; and Recovery and Rehabilitation, restoring systems, ways of life, normalcy, and addressing both physiological and psychological needs post-disaster.
Participants also got the chance to learn Hands-only CPR – a necessary skill that members of the public can perform in cases of suspected heart attacks occurring among family or community members. An open forum and an individual evaluation were conducted, addressing questions and concerns toward clarity in line with current DRRM measures.
ANDAM! Academy of the Cebu Council of Rotaract Clubs not only achieved its aim of widespread advocacy for DRRM but also served as a benchmark where Rotaractors from different parts of the Philippines can also conduct and equip themselves – protecting more families and communities from the effects of disasters and strengthen the Filipino “bayanihan” spirit – uplifting and bringing communities together, and demonstrating resilience amidst the ever-increasing occurrences of natural and man-made disasters in the country.
