Barangay Cabatangan will be the site of the new City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management building, touted as a model of resiliency. 
This, as Mayor Beng Climaco Thursday morning led the groundbreaking ceremony and time capsule laying for the CDRRM building in the hills of Lot 60, duly registered in the name of the City Government, in barangay Cabatangan. 

“This command center will be a model of resilience and a legacy for the people of Zamboanga” the mayor declared as she called to mind the city’s traumatic experience during the 2001 Cabatangan siege. “This is the sight of the Cabatangan siege and we would want to focus now on resiliency ensuring that this will bring in memories of safety and security.”

The proposed CDRRM building’s location is the highest vantage point identified by the local government and can respond during calamities within the central business district and the 7-km radius, according to Climaco.

CDRRMO head Dr. Elmeir Apolinario said the building, with a command center, will be a 3-storey edifice with basement with a total floor area of 7,602.73 square meters.

Special features are the surveillance security monitoring room, a press conference room, quarters for responders and a city mayor’s office.
The project was bidded out early this year with an initial funding of P100M. Bendemil Construction Development Corporation won the bid, according to Apolinario. 

The proposed CDRRM building will address all hazards – both natural and human induced as it will be a command control center with the involvement and coordination of all agencies concerned.

The present CDRRM office in Legionaire Street in Zone IV will be utilized for other purposes but a room will be maintained for the CDRRMO when the new building will be operational. All equipment and facilities including the current Surveillance and Security Control Office command center will be transferred to Cabatangan building.

Present during the groundbreaking ceremony were all CDRRMC member-agencies to include Bureau of Fire Protection, Joint Task Force Zamboanga, Philippine Coast Guard, CDRRMO and other agencies. Also present were representatives from the 55th Philippine Army Engineering Brigade, City Engineer’s Office and Bendemil Construction among others. (Sheila Covarrubias) (photos: Kathy Wee Sit)