Marikina City has signed a deal with non-government organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to boost the city’s capacity to overcome disasters like the killer typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng that swamped the city last year.

Mayor Del de Guzman and Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz led the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with private sector-partners creating the Marikina Disaster Readiness Alliance (MDRA).

The other signatories are Horacio R. Morales Jr. representing Resilience: Nurturing Disaster-Ready Cities and Communities, Jose B. Tayawa, president of the Marikina Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Laurencito Ragas Tiu, president of the Rotary Club of Marikina and Zaldy Cornelio, convenor of People’s Council of Marikina.

“The alliance is a pro-active approach to disaster management. The key word here is preparedness. We don’t want another “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” to catch us flat-footed again,” the mayor said.

Before Marikina was transformed into a major habitation site, it used to be dominated by farms producing rice and vegetables, particularly in the Tumana area and the zone abutting the Marikina River like the present site of the Provident Villages.

Both areas were severely damaged by Ondoy, with scores of fatalities recorded and millions of property destroyed.

Marikina City was among the hardest hit by the Ondoy and Pepeng that ravaged Luzon, including Metro Manila.

The super typhoons caused severe flooding that resulted in the deaths of thousands and destruction of billions worth of properties on Sept. 26 and Oct. 1 last year.

In forging the public-private partnerships that involves private sector, non-government organizations and citizens’ groups, De Guzman said the alliance aims to prepare for the worst impacts of climate change.

“Marikina City and the various stakeholders want to put in place strategic disaster risk reduction measures, starting with the mobilization of both financial and human resources in the quickest possible time for the city government to provide appropriate and timely interventions to its constituency,” said Morales.

“In the immediate time we are coordinating to install an early warning system and conduct flood drills. We are also eyeing partnerships around the reforestation of the Marikina watershed. We see the alliance among various development stakeholders within Marikina as partners in these endeavors,” Marikina’s local chief executive added.

The alliance sees the urgency to put in place effective disaster risk reduction and response and come up with development plans and financing towards building sustainable cities in the long term, Morales stressed.

La Liga, a development and advocacy NGO, serves as the secretariat of Resilience. Among La Liga’s core advocacy is the campaign for a “climate sensitive” plan and budget both at the national and local level. Resilience members include the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, and Education for Life Foundation and Convergence.