TACLOBAN CITY, Sept. 10 (PNA) – Thirty local government units (LGUs) from the three provinces in Eastern Visayas will receive technical assistance from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the development of “risk-informed” Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).
Recipients are local government units badly hit by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and vulnerable to multiple hazards. These LGUs are at least 70 percent done with their CLUP preparation and not a beneficiary of any similar projects.
These are the towns of Guiuan, Mercedes, Salcedo, Quinapundan, Giporlos, General MacArthur, Hernani, Llorente, Balangkayan and Maydolong in Eastern Samar; Daram, Sta Rita, Talalora and Villareal in Samar; Alang-alang, Babatngon, Burauen, Capoocan, Carigara, Dagami, Jaro, Julita, La Paz, Pastrana, San Miguel, Sta. Fe, Tabontabon, Tunga, Javier, and Baybay City in Leyte province.
“This component is focusing on developing the capacity of the local governments to plan for resiliency, so they have to review their CLUP
and CDP to ensure that the plan will ensure creating a state of resiliency that is sustainable,” DILG Eastern Visayas Regional Director Marivel Sacendoncillo said.
Mayors from 30 areas signed a memorandum of understanding, together with Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan-de los Santos for the program implementation.
The DILG and partner funding agency – Asian Development Bank and Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction – will be looking for CLUP that based on the context of climate change and disaster risk reduction at the end of the program.
“In other words, it is sensitive already to vulnerability and risk assessments because the land use plan is critical to the decision that the local government will make, investment decision and it should influence the CDP of the LGU,” Sacendoncillo added.
Beneficiaries are bound to organize planning team as functional committee for the local development council, issue an executive order designating local disaster officer as the focal unit to the project and lead the planning team.
“LGU must also participate in technical assistance activities and engage the project team to meet project milestone and province access to hazard, exposure, socio-economic, physical and environmental data available in the locality necessary to complete the project milestone,” the DILG regional chief explained.
The LGU must also work towards the completion, submission and approval of the CDP and CLUP. They are also committed to utilize and maintain geographic information system equipment and software for planning and other purposes beneficial to their locality.
The provincial governments are responsible to designate personnel from the planning office to sit as member of the local planning core group; convene the provincial development council; provide direction in plan formulation; and ensure harmonization of the plans.
The DILG expects that by December this year, all 30 LGUs are ready to submit their CLUP and CDP for the enactment of their respective councils and review by the provincial board members. (PNA)
ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR
