CDRRMO assures disability inclusive programs

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) assured concerned persons with disabilities and officers of organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) that is gaining headway in the crafting of disability inclusive policies and programs to help empower persons with disabilities to be disaster resilient.

CDRRMO head Engr. Charles Bryan Carame said that the local government fully supports the desire of persons with disabilities and officers of organizations of persons with disabilities to be part of the planning process in the formulation and updating of disaster risk reduction and management programs to achieve the mandated disability inclusive DRRM plans.

He claimed that the CDRRMO will be actively engaging the PDAO and the OPDs to gather their inputs to be able to achieve the overall desire of being inclusive in all DRRM plans and programs.

However, the CDRRMO urged the OPDs to acquire their juridical personality and seek their accreditation with the city council to pave the way for their inclusion in the list of groups that will be tapped to participate in the planning, formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of various plans, programs, projects and activities.

For their part, the OPDs claimed that most of the groups of persons with disabilities have their respective legal personalities because of their registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) but some of the said organizations have yet to be given accreditation by the local government.

Initially, the CDRRMO will be engaging OPDs for the blind for the development of information and education campaign materials on disaster risk reduction and management for the visually impaired before the other groups of persons with disabilities considering the difference in the needs of those suffering from different types of disabilities. – Dexter A. See