DUMAGUETE CITY, July 3 (PNA) -– The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Negros Oriental completed Friday a two-day simulation on the Incident Command System (ICS) in preparation for the staging of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2015 in Cebu starting next month.
Governor Roel Degamo ordered the ICS simulation activity in anticipation of APEC delegates and their families coming to Negros Oriental on an R&R (rest and relaxation) or to visit the different tourism destinations in the province, said Adrian Sedillo, PDRRMC executive officer and Capitol spokesperson Friday.
According to Sedillo, table top exercises on various scenarios on human-induced and natural disasters and emergencies were the center of the two-day simulation, attended by PDRRMC members who had previously undergone training on the Incident Command System.
These include representatives from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army and the Philippine Coast Guard, among others.
Other agencies also represented during the two-day ICS table-top exercises were the country’s weather bureau, PAG-ASA, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Public Works and Highways, as well as provincial government offices on engineering and planning, to name a few.
The local government units of Siaton, Zamboanguita, Bais City and Manjuyod in Negros Oriental, who all have Incident Management Teams, also took part in the ICS simulation, Sedillo said.
The PDRRMC’s ICS, Sedillo clarified, will basically be on hand for immediate deployment in the event of any scenario in the province related to the APEC 2015 staging in Cebu on different dates in August, September and October this year.
Complementary to the two-day simulation exercises, the PDRRMC and OCD also conducted Monday to Wednesday basic Incident Management System training for the local governments of Mabinay, Canlaon, Valencia and Dauin, four of the province’s areas with tourism destinations, Sedillo disclosed.
Early on, the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police also met to discuss joint security plans for the province in the event of visitors from the APEC 2015 delegations in Cebu. (PNA)