As part of the efforts of the University of the Philippines to build a more disaster-free and climate-resilient nation, UP, through its Resilience Institute and the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, held a ceremonial signing of Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding (MOA/MOU) with seven private organizations and local government units (LGU) on Sept. 12, 2018 at the College of Science Auditorium in the National Science Complex, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
Present during the event were: UP System Executive Vice President Teodoro J. Herbosa; UP System Vice President for Legal Affairs Hector Danny Uy; Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the UP Resilience Institute and director of the UP NOAH Center; Dean Perry S. Ong of the UP College of Science; Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez of the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija; Mayor Michael Angelo Rivera of the Municipality of Padre Garcia, Batangas; Mayor Grande P. Gutierrez of the Municipality of Taysan, Batangas; President Ricardo F. De Leon of the Philippine Public Safety College; Mr. Joel C. Aldor, president of the Grupo Kalinangan; Ms. Maria Regina E. Reyes, head of Integrated News and Current Affairs at ABS-CBN Corporation; Ms. Faye Andal, representative of Map the Philippines; and, officials and staff of their respective organizations or LGUs.
During the program, the officials each delivered their messages of commitment.
Herbosa said everyone should be “committed to promoting a culture of safety and preparedness, and of sustainability and resilience, in the face of emergency or disaster situations, in our own communities, so that we could do our part in reducing the hazards, mitigating the risks, and most importantly, to help save people’s lives.” He added that UP’s partnership with these organizations would “ultimately help strengthen and empower local communities to become genuinely sustainable, developed, and capable of administering lifesaving solutions in times of emergency or disaster.”
Lagmay said this event formalized the start of the many collaborative engagements that UP and its partner organizations and agencies would be conducting across the nation. (Fred Dabu, UP Media and Public Relations Office)
