PH’s 1st peace, resiliency center opens in Tacloban City

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 24  -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has opened its peace and resiliency center in this city, the first of its kind in the country, which is designed to strengthen ties in fighting insurgency and disasters.

DILG Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año led the center's inauguration on Wednesday, with governors and key regional officials of DILG-attached agencies present.

“This center must serve its purpose as the learning hub for coherence, collaboration, and interdependence among various stakeholders to bring about peaceful, progressive, and resilient communities in Eastern Visayas,” Año said.

The PHP5 million two-story center constructed within the DILG regional office compound here will serve as a model in peace and resilience effort nationwide.

“I will impose that all regions must have peace and resiliency center. It should be the rallying point for us to be prepared to combat various conflict situations and disaster scenarios. This will eventually inspire us more to live with nature with resiliency,” Año added.

The facility will be the venue for meetings of the Regional Disaster and Risk Reduction Management. In normal situations, the building will be used for various gatherings of government agencies.

The center has priorities, which include setting up of localized peace dialogues in conflict areas, creation of peace and prosperity zones and organization of peace tables, implementation of development projects, and implementation of tourism activities.

Other thrusts are construction of access road in Samar Island, construction of renewable energy sources in Northern Samar and Leyte provinces, enhancing connectivity of Eastern Visayas to Luzon and Mindanao for easier response after disasters, redeployment of soldiers from Mindanao to Samar.

The center will also strengthen the DILG’s Operation Listo (alert) meant to institutionalize disaster protocols for local governments to observe before, during, and after disaster.

DILG, as the vice-chair for preparedness, conceptualized Operation Listo to strengthen preparedness of LGUs during disaster.

The advocacy program entails three components: Listong Pamahalaang Lokal, Listong Pamayanan and Listong Pamilyang Pilipino, which seek to strengthen disaster preparedness at the city, municipal, village, and household levels. (SQM/PNA)