A whole-day seminar-workshop on strategic planning for search-and-rescue groups in Negros Oriental began today at the Sidlakang Negros Village conference room in Dumaguete City.

Angelo Tiongson, PDRRMC executive officer, said the activity, spearheaded by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council aims at strengthening the capability of government and private SAR groups province-wide, and to organize them into a federation for better coordination in times of disaster and calamities.

 

Around 40 SAR team leaders and representatives from local government units and private groups, officials from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Coast Guard are attending the seminar-workshop.

Workshop sessions on protocol, identifying point persons, and an incident command system to avoid confusion during disaster response are among the activities, Tiongson said.

Resource persons are Provincial Planning Officer Joy Gongob, who will discuss hazards and threats and high-risk disaster/flood-prone and landslide-prone areas; Civil Defense provincial coordinator Allen Cabaron on the concept of civil defense; and Tiongson on developing a directory of SAR groups, their individual capabilities and their SAR equipment.

An executive order signed by Gov. Roel Degamo, appointing at least four executive officers to the PDRRMC, will be presented during the activity. Nominated are Tiongson and provincial information officer Adrian Sedillo, Gongob, and Provincial Social Welfare Officer Alice Legarde.*JFP