The Department of Health (DOH) joins the annual observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) this whole month of July with the theme “Kahandaan sa Sakuna’t Peligro Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago.”

This event calls for action among national agencies and local government units (LGUs) to implement disaster resilience campaigns towards increasing public awareness on the importance of disaster risk reduction and management. This will cover four thematic areas, namely: disaster prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response, and disaster rehabilitation and recovery.

The issuance of Executive Order No. 29 on June 28, 2017 caused the shifting of the observance from disaster awareness to disaster resilience-building where Filipinos are advised to collectively observe the NDRM countrywide.

For this year’s observance of the NDRM, a series of activities will be conducted in collaboration with partner agencies and institutions starting with the program launch that will highlight the Ceremonial Turnover of Tents from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and culminating with table top exercise to be participated by the DOH Executive and Management Committee.

Other activities include:  Pre-launching of the Nationwide Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Campaign in SM Mall of Asia; 2019 Nationwide Simultaneous Hands-Only CPR Campaign where specific major hubs are located in Pangasinan, Cebu, Davao City, and Mandaluyong City respectively; Basic Life Support Training for the DOH Security Personnel; and Ceremonial Signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation. All of these are geared towards the achievement and nationwide propagation of the 5K vision: Kaligtasang pangKalusugan sa Kalamidad, sa Kamay ng Komunidad.

For this year’s NDRM observance, “I would like to emphasize that the resilience, safety, and protection of the community can be achieved through the cooperation and readiness of the public to assist each other especially in times of emergencies and disasters,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III concluded.