While the national government is waging an aggressive campaign to address massive corruption in its flood control program, Cebu City is set to launch its own multi-sector flood prevention drive.
The initiative, dubbed “Be a Part of Flood Hero Cebu” will be rolled out on Sept. 27 at the Cebu Coliseum along Sanciangco St., Cebu City.
In a press conference held Thursday at the Cebu City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) boardroom, CCCI president Jay Yuvallos and lawyer Anastasio Muntuerto, Jr. of the Cebu Citizens Initiative said the movement aims to mobilize more than one million local residents as they underscored the importance of community and private sector involvement.
Muntuerto and Yuvallos expressed optimism about the movement’s potential to grow and make positive contributions to the overall flood control efforts.
“There is a need for collective management of resources and breath with a call to action for a flood-free Cebu,” they noted.
“We want everyone to unite and awaken the flood hero within us. Let us all mobilize and educate our community and call on our government to fulfil their role in addressing the flood-related issues to build a liveable Cebu, characterized by social order and a robust economy for Cebu,” Yuvallos said.
He added that this is the time to take the initiative and save Cebu from the floods, one bucket per household at a time.
The Cebu Citizens Initiative, in collaboration with the CCCI, also intends to organize the Flood Free Cebu Summit and the Flood Hero Cebu Movement on launch day.
The movement seeks to raise public awareness and education, with a focus on community participation and non-structural mitigations.
Proponents of the project are looking at four key areas of focus for the movement—community participation, non-structural mitigations, diverse community needs, and capacity building.
Yuvallos cited the importance of “capacitating the community to participate effectively” in the movement.
Various organizations, including the Rotary Club, JCS, churches, fraternities, schools, and the academe, have expressed eagerness to join as key partners of the movement. Initial support from big companies came in on the heels of the organizers’ call for wider involvement across all sectors of society.
