Institution name BUTUAN CITY DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Address of headquarters CITY HALL COMPLEX, DOONGAN, BUTUAN CITY
Date of creation JUNE 2011
Main fields of activity DISASTER MITIGATION, PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE AND REHABILITATION, CC
ADAPTATION
Size 24 COUNCIL MEMBERS
Organization Structure Pls. see attached
Annual budget and source of income Php 52, 978, 459.00
Name and title of chief executive officer FERDINAND M. AMANTE JR., M.D.
REQUIRED: PLEASE DESCRIBE IN LESS THAN 800 WORDS THE INITIATIVE THAT IS BEING NOMINATED TO
REDUCE THE IMPACT OF DISASTERS AND BUILD DISASTER RESILIENCE, WHAT THE RESULTS ARE TO
DATE, WHO ARE INVOLVED, AND THE LEVEL OF OUTREACH. STATE THE CHALLENGES YOU ARE
CONFRONTING AND THE SOLUTION YOU HAVE PROPOSED.
Butuan City is vulnerable to flooding because of its low elevation, in fact a portion of the city is below
sea level. All the water from Davao, Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur empty to the Butuan Bay. It
has a history of periodic flood that occurs every 20 years but the period has been shortened to 17 years
from the last recorded flooding. At present there are still over 5000 households, mostly informal
dwellers along the city’s river banks that need to be relocated in safe places. The city government has
already provided relocation sites but funds for the construction of houses are scarce. The local
government and the department of environment and natural resources have already signed a MOA on
the utilization of confiscated logs for house construction. But this will not fully address the need for
housing units in the city.
The city of Butuan has been granted by the national government P60 million for its drainage program as
an incentive for its good governance. And the local government also gave a counterpart of P30 million
for the said project. The project is ongoing and in its completion it is hoped that it will solve the flooding
in the city proper.
The bulk of its DRRM fund for 2013 which amounted to PhP53 million has been allocated for
infrastructure rehabilitation brought about by the damages incurred in the recent flooding. Trainings
and response equipment were also given a priority in the budget.
The recent floods also revealed a need for the construction of evacuation centers other than the local
government schools. Whenever flooding comes, classes in the elementary and high school levels are
suspended because the classrooms are utilized as evacuation centers for the affected families. A PhP 10
million budget has been given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the
construction of the evacuation centers.
What we do not have at present is the installation of an early warning device that will be installed along
the stretch of the Agusan River for monitoring water level.
REQUIRED: PLEASE DESCRIBE IN LESS THAN 400 WORDS, THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE
INITIATIVE THAT HAS BEEN NOMINATED. IF FEASIBLE, DESCRIBE WHAT LEVEL OF FUNDING HAS BEEN
INVESTED SO FAR AND HOW YOU PLAN TO USE THE AWARD MONEY TO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE, IF
YOU ARE THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE. IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO USE THE AWARD MONEY FOR THIS
PURPOSE, STATE HOW YOU PLAN TO USE IT.
Most of the resources of the DRRM is focused on mitigating flooding but not much on earthquake
preparedness. At present, trainings for Basic Life Support and Fire Drill and Technical Rescue were
appropriated PhP 3 million. We plan to initiate geological hazard forum on earthquake and its
consequences and network with the historical and tourism councils for the possibilities of drawing a
comprehensive plan of incorporating geo-hazards in its infrastructure and archaeological sites
development. The award money could greatly help us in the mobilization and preparation for the said
forum.