The Department of Interior and Local Government on Tues. ordered all local government units in disaster-prone areas to install alarm systems capable of producing’loud, yelling sounds’ to alert residents of an inbound disaster.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno gave troubled local officers 30 days to install the alarm system. He specifically claimed that these alarm systems are compulsory in the following areas : those that are spanned by brooks ; those that served as catch-basins of nearby dams’ water reservoirs ; and flood or landslide-prone areas.

Puno claimed these alarm systems should be still and loud enough to reach majority of the area’s residents.

As a response to the problem of garbage in the metropolis and nearby areas due to the destruction caused by the twin typhoons ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng’, the Department of Interior and Local Government organized a meet-up between the department and local government officials. The said meet-up and talk was organized last October 17, and this did not just happen in one area of the metro. The meeting was synchronized in many areas as well and the participants in the said meetings focused on common issues that relate to solid waste management.

In an effort to further improve the operations of the Bureau of Fire Protection and to ensure that the Bureau becomes more helpful in relief efforts during calamities, the bureau has added thirty three (33) more fire trucks. According to published reports and a press release from the Department of Interior and Local Government, these new trucks will be used for flushing the affected communities affected by the twin typhoons and these trucks will also prove its worth in delivering and rationing water to affected areas and evacuation centers. These new trucks acquired thru emergency purchase are expected to be stationed in the National Capital Region and CALABARZON.

Another typhoon is set to hit the country in the next two or three days, but this time around government instrumentalities are making sure that the country will be prepared and ready for the onslaught of the new typhoon. The Department of Interior and Local Government headed by Secretary Ronnie Puno is one of those government instrumentalities that is taking the lead in ensuring that communities are prepared.

In an effort to prevent future massive losses of lives and damages to properties, the government led by the Department of Interior and Local Government has met with local government units and its officials to lay out new disaster protocols that can be used and adopted when another calamity strikes. Secretary Ronnie Puno of the department has met with the officers and officials from LGUs hit by the two typhoons, ‘Pepeng’ and ‘Ondoy’.

Did you know that every 15th of October, the country celebrates the Rural Women’s Day? That’s right and this year is not an exemption as the country celebrates this important day. The Department of Interior and Local Government is one government agency that took the lead in the celebration of this event. The department courtesy of the office of Secretary Ronnie Puno has issued a memorandum which urges local government units to celebrate this important day by the initiation of simple yet important and symbolic activities.

The Department of Interior and Local Government thru the office of Secretary Ronnie Puno has announced a significant achievement of the office. The office shared that almost all of the local government units in the county has their own existing citizen charters. The objective of the office is 100-percent coverage, and with nearly all of the LGUs covered as of this writing then it is safe to say that the project of the department can be considered as a success. So when the general public wants too a copy of this charter and wants to understand the basic assistance and services that can be provided by their respective LGUs, then the can surely expect that their city or municipality has one and this details the core services that can be offered.

The absence Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary (DILG) Rolando Puno was highly noted most especially after Typhoon Ondoy. Hundreds of people were killed during the said calamity and Senator Miriam Santiago is holding the DILG Secretary along with other local government officials liable for the “poor response” to the calamity caused by Typhoon Ondoy or Typhoon Ketsana, its international name. Senator Santiago has been questioning the absence of Sec Puno ever since the typhoon hit the country. She further stated that this is the most crucial time that the presence of Sec Puno is badly needed by the local government unit (LGU) officials.

If Ronnie Puno will have his way, then there is a good way to be civil and to be professional in the conduct of elections. The secretary of the Department and Interior and Local Government shared his thoughts on how to practice civility in politics during his speaking engagement at the Manila Overseas Press Club. He said that now is the time to practice civility in politics and he suggested a number of to-do things that can help shape the way we conduct elections. Here are some of the things that should be avoided, as per the recommendation of the DILG chief;