Cagayan de Oro City — The frequent turnover of leadership in Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (LDRRMOs) has affected the response of local government units to man-made and natural disasters that regularly hit their communities, an official of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) said on Friday.
Antonio Sugarol, director of the Northern Mindanao OCD, said that LDRRMOs, which are the first line of response during typhoons and other calamities, often lack permanent plantilla officers to implement long-term disaster management plans for their respective localities.
LDRRMOs in local government units are responsible for setting the direction, implementation, and coordination of disaster reduction and management programs. The office is headed by a department head and has planning and research, rescue operation, and administrative training sections.
It also aims to reduce or avoid potential losses from hazards, ensure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disasters, and achieve rapid and effective recovery.
However, Sugarol said that most LGUs lack permanent managers and staff to continue long-term disaster management and response plans. He said that after every election, newly elected local chief executives often appoint new LDRRMO heads who have no previous experience in disaster response, especially in their specific locality.