OCD: Bicol has 307 new disaster risk mgt specialists

By Keren Anne Bernadas

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay --- The Office of Civil Defense has enhanced the Bicol region’s disaster risk management (DRM) capability by increasing its pool of DRM specialists by over 300 in the past six months.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media briefing on Tuesday, OCD Bicol Regional Director Claudio Yucot announced that a total of 307 DRR practitioners completed the Advanced Incident Command System (ICS) course offered by the OCD as of 2025.

These graduates of ICS course are now competent to teach the ICS principles and managing complex incidents to personnel of DRM offices, he said.

“There is a demand for ICS training in our region. We have now produced ICS instructors to teach the local government units, response agencies, and non-government organizations on the response management tool,” he said.

The establishment of the ICS was one of the key programs initiated by the government, serving as a vital disaster response tool within the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) system.

This program, spearheaded by the OCD, aligns with the directives outlined by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his 2024 State of the Nation Address, which emphasized the importance of timely, effective, and appropriate responses, as well as contingency plans for various hazards created by qualified disaster managers.

According to Yucot, the primary objective of the ICS is to ensure the safety of responders, achieve tactical goals, and promote the efficient use of resources.

At the time of her participation in the ICS training, Police Master Sergeant Jennifer Perez served as the assistant operations police non-commissioned officer at the Daet Municipal Police Station.

“I knew my job was not only to respond to man-made disasters. I and other personnel were also utilized in all kinds of incidents. In these situations, collaboration with other agencies is required, and having an ICS training, this collaboration provides us a common language and framework to work as one, regardless of our agency or jurisdiction,” she said.

After completing the Training for Instructors for ICS cadre, she is now part of the training team that facilitates training sessions and serves as an ICS instructor in Camarines Norte.

She added, “Implementing ICS in Daet has proven effective by adopting the standard principles of ICS. We successfully managed various major planned events and natural disasters while ensuring that we fulfilled our mandates.”

Assistant DRRMO in Sorsogon City, Hagel Habla, shared his experience regarding the ICS training.

“Thanks to the ICS training, I can utilize the principle of working by objectives to effectively manage situations. This training has enabled me to ensure the safety of responders, stabilize incidents, and protect both properties and the environment,” he said.

He added that the ICS framework truly helps in approaching any situation with clarity, coordination, and control.

As one of the trainees, Habla expressed gratitude for the training and the opportunity to serve “with confidence and competence.” He emphasized that this competence not only ensures the safety of personnel but also that of the general public, while proactively managing any potential incidents.

Habla noted that collaboration among the OCD and other local DRRMOs promotes the continuity of emergency operations in the event of disasters, striving for united actions toward resilience.

Yucot promised that no requests for capacity-building or demands for ICS training from local governments will be declined.

“To fulfill the President’s directives for a safer, more inclusive, adaptive, and resilient Philippines for future generations, we assure that all requests for training will be addressed promptly, and we will meet all targets related to the number of courses and ICS students,” he said. (PIA5)