SRA Updates Disaster Preparedness Plan
Press Release - May 8, 2025
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) recently kicked off a series of workshop to update their Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan and align this with the national disaster program.
The 2-day workshop was facilitated by the Office of the Civil Defense, making SRA as the first among government-owned and controlled corporations to work on their 5-year disaster plan.
DRRM Chairperson and Board Member Planters’ Representative David Sanson said readiness is a must for any eventual disaster.
“While we have a very comprehensive DRRM plan in place, we need to apprise ourselves with new data and technology so we can maximize our resources and make a bigger impact,” Sanson said.
The workshop orientation is essential in creating a Sugar Board-approved DRRMP that ensures a disaster-resilient SRA and sugar industry, equipping frontline officers to serve the industry during calamities and post-calamity rehabilitation.
“SRA has been criticized for not utilizing the SIDA to its fullest potential and we could have prevented, if not, at least addressed some very disastrous natural phenomenon like last year’s severe drought, if we have a working plan and budget in place,” he added.
Sanson also said that under the current administration, the industry has faced several challenges like flooding, pestilence, the long El Nino, including the ongoing threat of Mt. Kanlaon volcano in Negros Island, all of which will be taken into consideration in crafting the new plan.
Sanson thanked Raquel De Leon, Acting Chief of the DRRM Development and Standards Division, Policy Development and Planning Service in the OCD, for leading the workshop and providing insights in the current national standards and how this can be applied in the SRA’s plan.
He also thanked the participants, particularly the mill district representatives from all over the country who came for the activity.
“I am glad that you are all here so we can hit the ground running and put our money where our mouths are so we can provide the best response for our industry stakeholders in the advent of any forms of disaster and more importantly, to work on how we can mitigate and prevent such,” Sanson said.
Attendees participated in creating a proposed DRRMP by identifying roles, organizational concerns, vulnerabilities, and targets. The OCD and the SRA’s Planning, Policy, and Special Projects Department guided participants, who offered insights based on their regional contexts.
