This highly urbanized city is set to launch a child-friendly education initiative to strengthen disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) among younger children, kicking off the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) celebrations on Thursday.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Local DRRM III Sharry Ledesma said they will launch the DRR Alphabet and Resilience Storybook as part of their climate and disaster resilience project.

The initiative is in partnership with the University of San Agustin – Social Advocacy and Community Engagement Office (USA-SACEO), and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) – Child Development Workers.

“It is an advocacy project that highlights prevention and mitigation efforts and response preparedness activities,” Ledesma said.

Every letter in the alphabet has a representation that is written in Hiligaynon and English to be better understood by children. The materials in poster form will be provided in all daycare centers in the city.

“What we really envision is that we start them young; at a young age, teach them, we prepare them for any disaster, and in the simplest terms they could easily understand,” she added.

Select daycare pupils will present the DRR Alphabet during the launching activity at Festive Mall Iloilo.

The Resilience Storybook, on the other hand, will teach children valuable lessons while providing them with fun and engaging activities to allow them to understand simple concepts on climate and disaster risks, Ledesma said.

She said there will also be a Climate Forum for Senior Citizens on July 3 as part of the three-day kick-off activities.

Meanwhile, provinces in Western Visayas will again showcase their rescue capabilities during the 2026 “Regional Rescuelympics” on July 25-29 in Antique.

Civil Defense Western Visayas Operations Section Chief Melissa Banias, in the same media conference, said the region has been chosen as the national pilot in the Visayas for the activity.

The Negros Island Region and Central and Eastern Visayas have been invited to participate.

The mechanics and program will be managed by the central office, she added.

“Our goal here is to develop camaraderie because one of the things we are currently developing is the IMPLAN (implementation plan) for the Big One. Region 6 is one of the regions that will assist NCR (National Capital Region) in case of the Big One,” Banias said.

The Rescuelympics will also test whether their skills and training are aligned with the standards at the national level, she added. (PNA)