BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – In an effort to avert casualty during calamities, the hierarchy of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) appealed to all local government unit (LGU) officials to take geohazard maps seriously in their respective cities, provinces, and municipalities down to the barangay level.

“More than a planning tool, these maps are a lifesaver,” stressed DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje, in a press statement as he renewed anew his call for local government executives to give serious attention to the geo-hazard maps which the DENR has distributed to 1,600 municipalities and cities and about 4,000 barangays nationwide.

“I implore heads of local government units to take genuine interest in these geohazard maps we have provided them, especially for those whose areas are in identified disaster-prone areas so they can take the necessary steps before, during, and after calamity,” said Paje, adding that the 1:50,000-scale geo-hazard maps are a critical planning tool in the government’s risk reduction program.