Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay has ordered the distribution of free emergency kits to some 8,232 city hall employees and detailed national agency personnel to boost their resilience and ensure uninterrupted public service when disasters strike.
The city chief executive said her administration prioritized the provision of 72-hour emergency kits to city workers and started the distribution last December 16 among frontliners actively engaged in COVID-19 response operations.
“We want to ensure that our frontliners and other city hall personnel are well-equipped not only to survive, but to continue providing critical services to Makatizens even during emergencies,” Binay said.
“We need to take care of our work force and build their resilience to any kind of crisis, if we are to continuously serve our constituents amid this pandemic and other disasters that may occur,” she added.
Binay explained that each portable kit provides necessities sufficient for three days that would help an individual survive a disaster while waiting for rescuers to arrive.
Each portable emergency kit contains five moist towelettes, two SOS water pouches, two 12-hour light sticks, one food bar, one thermal blanket, one N95 Respirator Mask, one ID card holder with lanyard and an emergency card.
To date, 3,417 regular employees, 4,795 casual employees, and 20 contractual employees benefitted from the project.
Last December 16, the city prioritized the distribution of the kits to some 200 frontliners and essential workforce personnel who are actively deployed for the COVID-19 operations of the city.
These included employees of the Public Safety Department, Department of Environmental Services, Department of Engineering and Public Works, Makati Action Center, Makati Riders, Makati Social Welfare Department, General Services Department, Makati Health Department, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Personnel from the city’s Bureau of Fire – and Philippine National Police – were also provided with personal emergency kits.
Since 2018, Mayor Binay has pursued the promotion of a “culture of preparedness” among city residents, including the youth, by providing emergency Go Bags to public school children and other vulnerable sectors.
The recipients included 553 households in danger zones transected by the West-Valley Fault, 10,646 public school children in elementary, day care and Special Education (SPED), and 38,929 junior and senior high school students.