ILOILO – To bolster disaster resilience and climate readiness, the Iloilo Provincial Government is rolling out a comprehensive province-wide campaign this July, aimed at strengthening both institutional and grassroots preparedness.
The month-long initiative, anchored on the provincial development agenda MoRProGRes Iloilo, integrates disaster risk reduction and sustainable development as core strategies in building a disaster-resilient province.
Marking the National Disaster Resilience Month, the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) is spearheading a string of high-impact activities that highlight unity, readiness, and green governance — the central themes of this year’s observance.
A major highlight is the Provincial Rescuelympics 2025, slated for July 17 at the Iloilo Sports Complex, which will feature 43 municipal DRRM responders demonstrating their emergency skills in a competitive format.
Top-performing teams will advance to the regional Rescuelympics on July 22–23 in Dingle town, fostering inter-local government unit (LGU) collaboration and best practices in emergency response across Western Visayas.
Community involvement is also front and center. On July 21, the Limpyo Iloilo Clean-Up Drive in Brigada Pasica will mobilize citizens to clean and green their surroundings, reinforcing environmental responsibility. This will be followed by the RED Brigade II Bloodletting Activity on July 25, in partnership with uniformed services, to help augment the province’s blood supply and promote voluntary blood donation.
The celebration will culminate in the Provincial DRRM and Climate Change Adaptation Skills Convergence on July 31 at Lake Alapasco in Batad. This event will spotlight Iloilo’s vision of becoming a Forest Province by 2044 and consolidate flagship environmental programs such as Tanom Iloilo (tree planting), Limpyo Iloilo (clean-up and waste management), MoRProGRes Garden (sustainable agriculture), and Turista sa Barangay (rural tourism development).
In parallel, the provincial government is advancing institutional preparedness. A large-scale Barangay Kapitolyo Earthquake Drill was held on June 24, simulating a magnitude 6.9 tremor. The exercise, led by the BFP and PDRRMO, featured high-angle rescue scenarios and tested the response capacity of over 800 provincial employees and responders.
“These efforts reflect our commitment to empowering communities, strengthening institutions, and promoting climate-resilient governance,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., emphasizing the importance of long-term solutions over reactive measures.
With climate change and natural disasters becoming increasingly unpredictable, Iloilo’s proactive and integrated approach could serve as a model for other provinces seeking to build a safer, more sustainable future./PN
