ILOILO City – With strong earthquakes repeatedly shaking parts of the country, Mayor Raisa Treñas is urging Ilonggos to adopt a “self-help” approach to disaster preparedness as the city government explores funding sources for emergency “Go Bags.”
Treñas acknowledged that while Iloilo City recognizes the vital role of Go Bags in disaster readiness, financial limitations remain a major hurdle.
“We discussed the Go Bag in our meeting, and we agreed to prioritize it at the barangay level first,” the mayor said. “For now, our residents should practice self-help while we’re still finding ways to fund the Go Bags. Other cities already have them because they have bigger budgets. If we have extra funds, we’ll definitely pursue it, because it’s really for the safety and preparedness of our people.”
The mayor’s call comes on the heels of successive tremors that rattled the Visayas and Mindanao, including a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Bogo, Cebu on September 30 and a magnitude 7.4 quake in Davao Oriental on October 10, both felt in Iloilo City.
While waiting for the city’s Go Bag program to materialize, Treñas said Iloilo continues to strengthen grassroots capacity through training and community awareness campaigns.
“Our priority is to enhance public information and strengthen barangay systems so people know what to do during earthquakes,” she said. “We’ve already included new protocols in our awareness programs to make sure everyone is prepared.”
Other local governments, such as Pasig and Quezon City, have already integrated Go Bags into their disaster preparedness programs.
Pasig’s kits contain food, water, medicine, flashlights, and whistles, while Quezon City’s RESQC Go Bags include radios, raincoats, and first-aid kits — supplies meant to sustain individuals for at least 72 hours after a disaster.
Treñas said Iloilo City aims to implement a similar initiative once funding becomes available.
“We continue to prepare through training and awareness,” she said. “But for now, everyone should help themselves by being ready — that’s our best defense while we work on long-term solutions.”/PN