Ensuring support from stakeholders for its disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) capacity-building endeavor, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officials met with various partners in the government, private sector, academic institutions, uniformed services, and other organizations in a ceremony for the Civil Defense and Disaster Management Training Institute held at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The Office of Civil Defense said, the event was organized to gather partners in the implementation of the programs, projects, and activities for the institute.
“Our approach has always been collegial, consultative, and integrated because as we always say, DRMM is and has always been inter-agency and multidisciplinary. “
“We will always need the able hands of everybody in laying the foundations of achieving the resilience of the country. We need to forge strong partnerships for us to complement each others’ capabilities and resources required by the recurring need to prepare for and respond to disasters.” Institute Director Eugene Gepte said.
Meanwhile, in his message, Civil Defense Administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno thanked stakeholders for their support and highlighted the vital role of the institute in DRRM.
“As we manage the operations, the institute will play an important role in providing the needed knowledge, training, and the development of the collective muscle memory, automatic response, and the enhanced preparations needed by our country. We appreciate your presence as a sign of your willingness to help our country by serving the communities in this challenging mission of preparing them [for various emergencies and disasters,” Usec. Nepomuceno said.
“We will be looking forward to working with you closely, institutionalizing the things that we will be cooperating on. I assure you that the Office of Civil Defense is seriously and dedicatedly pursuing our mission and we are confident that we will succeed in doing our mission through your help,” he added.
Republic Act 10121 states that the “Institute shall consolidate and prepare training materials and publications of disaster risk reduction and management books and manuals to assist disaster risk reduction and management workers in the planning and implementation of this program and projects.”
It is also tasked to “conduct research programs to upgrade knowledge and skills and document best practices on disaster risk reduction and management and conduct periodic awareness and education programs to accommodate new elective officials and members of the Local DRRMCs.”
Usec. Nepomuceno also extended the message of support of National DRRM Council Chair and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. who was supposed to join the event but had a scheduling conflict.
Moreover, in partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a building for the institute will be constructed in Capas, Tarlac.
In August 2022, the civil defense and disaster management institute, previously named “National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training Institute” or NDRRMTRI was fully activated from its interim activation in 2021.
To improve internal arrangements and address operational concerns as well as the other matters, changes were implemented including the nomenclature.
“We are already doing this job [training] but we have to do it in a more concerted comprehensive and more effective way by removing the functions of the institute from one of our divisions at OCD and elevating them up to an institution or a school that would be a center of excellence and training for all the stakeholders.” the undersecretary said.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Food Programme (WFP) – Philippines, and the OCD through the Institute, will hold the Humanitarian Operations Workshop (HOW) in May 2024 at the New Government Center, New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.
The activity is an inter-agency exercise that is focused on specific disaster scenarios. This seeks to test the interoperability between and among the actors in DRRM in the Philippines, especially, the government mechanisms in preparing for and responding to scenarios.
The institute is also set to enter into a memorandum of understanding with York University in which both parties will work on joint academic exploration, research, scientific information, and materials exchange, as well as formulation and development of training programs.
The Institute is managed by the OCD, an agency with the primary mission of administering a comprehensive national civil defense and DRRM program.
