LEGAZPI CITY -- The provincial government of Albay signed on Friday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Oxfam Great Britain Philippine Programme to conduct a case study on the province public safety management and emergency management program.

        The MOU signed by Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda and Heather Blackwell, Oxfam interim country program manager was designed to learn experiences from good practice in disaster risk management.

        Salceda expressed optimism on the positive outcome of the study, saying “this (study) is part of my program to raise public awareness on disaster risk reduction.”

        The project is being funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) through its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO), which assists vulnerable people living in disaster-prone regions of the world in reducing the impact of natural disasters on their lives and livelihoods.

        The MOU signing was followed by a “Roundtable Discussion and Case Study” session aimed to document and share the story and learnings from the institutionalization of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) .

        Donna Mitzi Lagdameo OGB Programme Manager for Good Practice said APSEMO had been instrumental in strengthening the disaster management capability of the provincial government by ensuring the continuity of service and improved disaster prevention programs in the province.

        The disaster management office also provided an opportunity for re-education the community on the different hazards and effects of disaster.

        Albay is the only province in Bicol that has a operational disaster management office that provides effective coordination of the various institutions towards promoting efficient intervention on disaster preparedness and emergency response.

        Lagdameo said “the continuity and sustainability of disaster programs have been successfully implemented because of the permanent office overseeing disaster management-related activities in the local level.”

        APSEMO was created through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution Number 155-94 in July 8, 1994.

        Salceda said the study would raise national consciousness on the efforts being done by the provincial government towards issues related to disaster risk reduction, mobilize the participation of key stakeholders and strengthen the existing coordination mechanism on disaster management in the province.

        Blackwell for her part said OGB reiterates its commitment to the country’s efforts towards disaster risk reduction.