Taguig City distributes ‘grab bags’ to its public schools, continues its ‘CARES’ program

With its strong commitment to be always prepared for disasters and calamities, the City of Taguig in coordination with the Department of Education – Division of Taguig City and Pateros (DepEd TAPAT) distributed 68,750 “grab bags” (emergency kits) to all the 23 elementary and 13 secondary schools in the city.

A “grab bag” contains a whistle, garbage bag, flashlight, scarf, candies, mineral water, power bar, paracetamol, alcohol, cotton, Hydrogen Peroxide, Povidone Iodine, face mask, first aid paper tape, gauze bandage, and first aid gauze pad — essential items in times of emergencies and disasters.

DepEd TAPAT Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Benjamin Samson said that these grab bags have been strategically placed in areas inside the school where they are easily accessible to the students. “The importance of these grab bags is to ensure that in the event of an emergency be it an earthquake, flash flood and other disasters, our students will have something ready in order to survive and get to safety,” he added.

The distribution of grab bags is part of the city’s “Taguig Correct and Accurate Response for Emergency in the Schools” or “Taguig CARES” program. The program was established under the Lani Cayetano administration in 2010 in order to address the disaster reduction management and awareness needs of all the public schools.

Aside from the grab bags, the program has provided megaphones, fire extinguishers, fire- and waterproof vaults for important documents inside the schools. The city and DepEd continuously conduct yearly disaster risk reduction seminars and trainings for teachers and students including the Batang Emergency Response Team (BERT) — a program where several student leaders are specifically trained for emergency response purposes to prepare them in case teachers are not in the vicinity.

“The objective is to assure all the Taguigeños that their kids are in safe hands even inside the school premises,” Dr. Samson said. He stressed that these steps taken are necessary since Taguig, along with nine (9) other cities in Metro Manila, is situated along the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault line susceptible to a big earthquake.

This year, Taguig and DepED TAPAT plans to install in all its public schools city a Public Address System that will significantly improve the efficiency of information dissemination inside school premises in cases of emergencies.

Taguig City received the Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP) for Level 1 assessment from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in 2012. ###

FILIPINO VERSION

Taguig City namahagi ng grab bags sa mga public school,

Programang ‘CARES’ ipinagpatuloy

Nagpamahagi ng 68,750 ‘grab bags’ o (emergency kits) ang lokal na pamahalaan ng Taguig at Department of Education – Division of Taguig City and Pateros (DepEd TAPAT) sa 23 paaralang elementarya at 13 paaralang sekondarya sa buong lungsod bilang paghahanda sa iba’t ibang klase ng kalamidad.

Naglalaman ang ‘grab bag’ ng mga importanteng bagay na kinakailangan sa tuwing may sakuna gaya ng whistle, garbage bag, flashlight, scarf, candies, mineral water, power bar, paracetamol, alcohol, cotton, Hydrogen Peroxide, Povidone Iodine, face mask, first aid paper tape, gauze bandage, at first aid gauze pad.

Ipinaliwanag ni Dr. Benjamin Samson, ang DepEd TAPAT Schools Division Superintendent, na inilalagay ang mga grab bag sa mga lugar sa loob ng mga paaralan kung saan madali itong makukuha ng mga estudyante. “Ang kahalagahan kasi nitong mga grab bag ay ang masigurado natin na handa at mayroong tulong na makukuha ang mga bata sa oras ng kahit anong kalamidad gaya ng lindol at baha,” dagdag pa nito.

Ang pamamahagi ng mga grab bag ay bahagi ng isang programa na binuo sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Mayor Lani Cayetano noong 2010 at tinawag na “Taguig Correct and Accurate Response for Emergency in the Schools” or “Taguig CARES” program. Layon ng nasabing programa na bigyang pansin at pag-igtingin ang disaster reduction management at awareness needs ng bawat pampublikong paaralan.

Maliban sa mga grab bag, nakapamahagi na rin ang lokal na pamahalaan at DepEd ng mga megaphone, fire extinguisher, fire- at waterproof vault para sa mga importanteng dokumento ng mga paaralan. Kaugnay nito, patuloy rin ang pagsasagawa ng mga taunang disaster risk reduction seminar at training para sa mga guro at estudyante gaya ng Batang Emergency Response Team (BERT) kung saan tinuturuan ang ilang student leaders ng mga paraan kung saan maari silang tumugon sa mga emergency kung sakaling walang mga guro.

“Ang layunin kasi natin ay masigurado sa mga Taguigeño na ligtas at nasa mabuting kamay ang kanilang mga anak kahit na sa loob sila ng kanilang mga paaralan,” sabi ni Dr. Samson. Binigyang diin din niya na marapat lang na ipatupad ang mga nasabing hakbang dahil sa nakapwesto ang Taguig sa ibabaw ng 100-kilometer West Valley Fault line na maaring pagmulan ng malalakas na lindol.

Upang mas mapabilis at maisaayos ang pagpapakalat ng impormasyon sa loob ng mga paaralan sa oras ng sakuna, balak ng lokal na pamahalaan at DepEd TAPAT na maglagay ng Public Address System sa taong 2017.

Iginawad sa lungsod ng Taguig ang Seal of Disaster Preparedness (SDP) for Level 1 assessment ng Department of the Interior and Local Government noong 2012. ###