EDMERO conducts 4-day GIS training

By Mary Fe De Vergara

The Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, through its Environment, Disaster Management, and Emergency Response Office (EDMERO) conducted a four-day Basic Geographic Information System (GIS) Training for Local Government Units of the province on March 10-13, 2025 at the Capitol Complex, Cadlan, Pili.

Representative-participants of the twenty-six local government units of CamSur have completed the six (6) modules facilitated by expert resource speakers from the Department of National Defense of the Office of the Civil Defense Region V, and meteorologist and field geologist of EDMERO.

Angelica Adulta, one of the trainees from LGU Del Gallego, expressed her gratitude to the said training. “Very grateful po talaga ako sa opportunity and the learnings. Malaking bagay po talaga na maka-attend ako dito. Marami akong natutunan at may nadagdag sa kaalaman ko. Sobrang dami kong madadala sa municipality ko.”

Having limited cartographers, this training equips LGUs to create maps for disaster response using GIS technology, enabling quicker and more effective actions during disasters. Furthermore, this training will also help them in planning urban development projects, promoting economic development, and effectively managing the environment, education, health, and infrastructure sectors in their respective local governments.

Training Instructor Efren Binamira Jr. from the OCD V encouraged the participants to continue learning the use of GIS. He likewise emphasized that the knowledge gained from the training should not stop within the confines of the room, but must be adapted effectively to make a tangible impact in their respective communities.

The combination of hands-on exercises, group work, and real-world applications ensured that the participants were well-equipped to utilize GIS. One way to represent information is through mapping and this will better improve people’s understanding about the current happenings during a disaster. They can make use of it especially during disasters where information is crucial in their operation.

Meanwhile, in connection with the 5-day Civil Disturbance Management Operations Seminar (CDMOS) for the Philippine National Police Officers, the Provincial Government of CamSur through EDMERO, conducted an Orientation on Incident Command System for 44 police personnel from the five districts of the province on March 10, 2025, at the Camarines Sur Police Provincial Office, Concepcion Grande, Naga City.

The seminar tackles law enforcement strategies on how to deal with unrest in the community. It aims to instill to personnel how to restore and maintain order, reduce risks to the public, minimize injuries, and avoid destruction of lives and properties when there are civil disturbances.

Asked about the essence of integrating the ICS in the seminar, PMAJ Julius Ibarreta Prima, Human Resource Doctrine and Development Officer (HRDD) of CSPPO, shared, “ICS is like a management system where there is a procedure that needs to be followed, and at the same time, there is an organized decision-making from the higher echelon down to the lower. With the use of ICS, tasks become easier and systematized, and no resources will be wasted, be it manpower, equipment, or budget.”

PMAJ Prima also underscored that the seminar is being conducted in preparation for the upcoming national and local elections, that when untoward incident happens, there are police officers who are ready to manage the civil disturbances.

“Thank you to EDMERO for the continued support, especially for this seminar, which allows us to perform our duties well as police officers and to have a safer place to live, work, and do business,” he furthered. pgomultimedia