The Negros Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk- Reduction & Management Council has approved the purchase of four units of backhoe and additional personal protective equipment worth over P28 million.
The heavy equipment aims to enhance the province’s disaster response capabilities, as mandated by Republic Act No. 10121, which focuses on disaster risk-reduction & management.
Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction & Management officer Adrian Sedillo said this will boost the Province’s disaster and emergency preparedness program.
The equipment will be used to improve the response capacity in the event of an earthquake as well as natural hazards.
Sedillo said the fund is taken from the unexpended balance of the Province’s Disaster Risk-Reduction & Management’s quick response fund in 2024.
“With the guidance of our Provincial Administrator, there is a proposal that the money will be utilized for the purchase of heavy equipment, and the Provincial Engineer determines these equipment are most needed by the office,” said Sedillo.
Provincial Administrator Arthur Fran Tolcidas explained that the province only has nine operational backhoes catering to 25 towns and cities, which need to be served in times of disasters.
“Considering that we have 25 cities and municipalities and over 500 barangays that we help in times of disaster, this equipment is necessary since our province is a mountainous area,” said Tolcidas.
The Provincial Administrator said this is the first batch of backhoes to be purchased for the disaster response as the province plans to have at least 25 to 30 backhoes.
“These assets will now be prepositioned in each municipality and city in the Province because we cannot just right away respond and transport that backhoe from one place to another,” said Tolcidas. (JCT/PIA-7 NegOr)
