IF disaster preparedness were to be measured in terms of how much provincial governments in the Bicol region invested in equipment, Camarines Sur would take top spot, with P477.38 million worth of “Disaster Response and Rescue Equipment” in its inventory as of yearend 2023.
That total is almost three times what the other five provinces invested for the same item combined, little problem for the richest province in the region with P33.42 billion in assets.
The inventory of rescue equipment is declared in the financial statements of each province and attached to their respective Annual Audit Report (AAR).
Among all the regions in the country, only the 2023 AARs of the Bicol provinces have been fully uploaded on the official website of the Commission on Audit.
Masbate, the region’s second richest province with P11.53 billion in assets declared rescue equipment totaling P11.68 million.
Albay, the poorest among the six provinces of Bicol with only P4.29 billion in assets, listed P29.93 million in emergency response equipment as of December 31, 2023 to grab third place.
Sorsogon landed at fourth spot with P29.24 million invested in disaster rescue equipment as part of its assets totaling P6.57 billion.
Catanduanes was at fifth spot with equipment worth P11.68 million. It was Bicol’s second poorest province as of 2023, with P4.84 billion in assets.
The province with the lowest investment in rescue equipment was Camarines Norte which declared only P6.97 million. It is the third richest province in the region with assets listed at P9.076 billion.
Based on the breakdown of property, plant and equipment of each province, the Disaster Response and Rescue Equipment does not include construction and heavy equipment, communications, information and communication technology, and medical equipment which are all listed under separate accounts.
