The Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) strengthened disaster preparedness support and efforts in the Municipality of San Fernando through the turnover of Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (BDRRM) Plans to its ten barangays, held at the Disaster Operations Center in San Fernando, Camarines Sur, on January 9, 2026.
The event was spearheaded by Dr. Rene N. Rabacal, extension project leader and faculty member of the MDRM program under the CBSUA College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Rabacal formally presented the documents to Municipal Mayor Betty Ann Kristine D. Fulgentes, who was represented during the activity by Vice Mayor Ma. Maganda Espinosa–Lañada, together with personnel from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of San Fernando.
The first batch of barangays that received the BDRRM Plans includes Planza, Sta. Cruz, Grijalvo, Pamukid, Beberon, Lupi, Buenavista, Del Pilar, Bonifacio, and Rizal. The plans were developed through close coordination with barangay officials and community stakeholders to ensure that local risks, needs, and capacities were fully reflected.
Each BDRRM Plan outlines comprehensive strategies and actions designed to help barangays mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies. The documents include essential components such as barangay profiles, organizational structures, community risk assessments, legal bases, detailed programs, projects, and activities, monitoring and evaluation tools, and supporting annexes aimed at strengthening community resilience and safety.
Dr. Rabacal emphasized that the plans were crafted not only to comply with statutory requirements but, more importantly, to provide communities with practical and actionable guidance. He noted that the initiative seeks to “equip communities with knowledge that reduces vulnerability and strengthens resilience, especially in high-risk municipalities in Camarines Sur like San Fernando.”
Vice Mayor Lañada welcomed the initiative and expressed her appreciation to CBSUA for its continued support to local governance and disaster risk reduction efforts. She underscored the importance of proactive planning, citing the municipality’s frequent exposure to typhoons, flooding, and landslides, which pose significant risks to residents.
The turnover was attended by barangay officials, Sangguniang Kabataan chairpersons, barangay secretaries, and Disaster Risk Management students, all of whom committed to actively implementing the plans. Proposed activities include public information campaigns, emergency drills, and the regular updating of local DRRM committees to ensure preparedness at the community level.
The activity marked the first phase of a multi-barangay rollout supported by CBSUA as part of its community extension and research-based initiatives on disaster risk reduction and climate resilience. The remaining barangays in the municipality are scheduled to receive their respective plans in the succeeding phases of the project.
In addition to the turnover, CBSUA partnered with the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Naga City Chapter and distributed 21 emergency Go Bags containing basic survival and first-aid supplies to support the preparedness initiatives of the ten barangays.
Working hand in hand, CBSUA and LGU San Fernando are bringing disaster preparedness plans to life, taking real steps to protect and strengthen local communities. | 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘙. 𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯 – 𝘌𝘚𝘋; 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘕. 𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘭)
