EU envoy promotes disaster preparedness in Camarines Sur

EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The European Union (EU) envoy to the Philippines visited Camarines Sur on Tuesday to promote the importance of disaster preparedness.

“Disaster preparedness does unfortunately not attract much attention of the media while it is of such crucial importance to reduce the number of victims of natural disaster that regularly affect the Philippines,” Ambassador Guy Ledoux said in a statement.

Ledoux visited a mangrove plantation in Barangay (village) Cagsao, Calabanga, which was part of the disaster preparedness program financed by the EU years ago.

The program, implemented by Care Netherlands, aimed to mitigate the effects of typhoons. In the case of Cagsao village, the mangrove plantation had helped reduce the incidence of floods and protect its coastal areas.

On Wednesday, Ledoux attended a regional forum tackling the disaster risk reduction practices of the province and how to replicate them in other high-risk communities.

The EU has been ramping up its environmental programs in aid of vulnerable countries like the Philippines.

From 2012 to 2013, the EU had granted P90-million worth of funds to non-government agencies and local government units for disaster preparedness programs.

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