The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Tuesday called on the public to move beyond passive awareness of disaster risks and take active steps toward building resilience.
“Awareness alone doesn’t equate safety, and consciousness doesn’t guarantee minimized impacts,” OCD deputy administrator for operations Assistant Secretary Cesar Idio said as the agency launched the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) in Makati.
“Disaster preparedness is not a one-time goal, rather a dynamic and evolving practice that persistently requires sustained effort and constant progress,” he added.
To translate public awareness into concrete action, OCD has expanded its “Panatag Pilipinas” disaster preparedness campaign.
As part of the campaign’s expansion, infotainment videos will now be shown on public screens in select malls, cinemas, and various properties nationwide. The initiative also aims to combat the spread of disaster-related misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media.
Actor and military reservist Jose Sixto “Dingdong” Dantes, the campaign ambassador for “Panatag Pilipinas,” emphasized the need for Filipinos to embrace a culture of preparedness, citing the country’s vulnerability to a range of disasters—including typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
To extend the reach of its disaster preparedness campaign beyond digital platforms and into everyday spaces, OCD likewise partnered with the World Bank and Ayala Foundation.
