Alternative livelihood trainings continue to mitigate effects of climate change

by Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, January 10 (PIA) -- Series of alternative livelihood trainings for the six pilot barangays under the program of climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM) here will continue up to six months this 2012 although the program has been completed last December 2011, according to the city government's CCAM office.

Tito Fortes, officer in-charge of CCAM office, said the barangay-beneficiaries namely Sirangan, Cambulaga, Cabid-an, Bitano-o, Talisay and Sampaloc will be provided continuous training with the assistance of the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority.

The city has been a recipient of the alternative livelihood training programs for masonry, carpentry, tile setting, and retro-fitting procedures so that local residents, identified in the six highly vulnerable areas here in the city to the effects of the typhoons, will be the one to renovate, retrofit and strengthen their houses, according to the standards set by the UN-Habitat Foundation to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Fortes said that there are now 30 houses retrofitted and made resistant to the effects of climate change, specifically to become typhoon-resistant.

The city government has been continuously seeking local and foreign funding as the vision of the city is to make houses truly resistant to the ill effects of climate change.

Assessment of residences here is now being conducted, starting at the six pilot barangays so that the vision of the city to create a safe city under the UN Habitat standards will be observed.

Under the Gender and Advocacy Development program the local residents will also be taught how to do food processing and food preservation.

“Here in Sorsogon certain food are abundant during summer. These can be preserved and become a buffer stock of food that can be used and shared during lean months, can be sold or used during times of calamities,” Fortes said.

The Sanggunian Panlungsod is now drafting an ordinance to make houses typhoon resistant. Those that will be newly constructed will be provided orientation by the city engineering office and will be assessed by the city urban planning office in terms of location so that the proper way to mitigate and adapt to climate change will also become integrated in housing construction within the city.

He also said that those constituents who were trained under the UN Habitat to do masonry, carpentry, tile and toilet setting and retro-fitting procedures in house construction can now be hired as workers.

"We hope that these people trained and provided skills can now also be gainfully employed or given work here in our city'" Fortes said. (MAL/IAG, PIA Sorsogon)