LAOAG CITY — Local chief executives and heads of both public and private organizations in the province are currently undergoing a whole-day training Tuesday (July 10) on Incident Command System (ICS) aimed at minimizing damage to property and possible loss of lives during disaster response operations.
ICS is a standard on-scene, all-hazard incident management concept that can be used by all response groups. It allows users to adopt an integrated organizational structure for response.
Held at the Ilocos Norte Provincial Auditorium, the ICS Executive Course hopes to empower communities and make them more resilient.
“ICS is very effective in applying to an incident be it man-made or natural,” said Supt. Ferdinand de Asis, Officer-in-Charge of San Carlos City Police Station in Pangasinan, who served as one of the resource speakers.
Learning from previous experiences, de Asis said there is a need to level up the managerial training of local chief executives for them to be actively involved in the formulation of Action Incident Plan, an important consideration in the Seal of Good Governance Award.
Under Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, the Office of Civil Defense has been tasked to formulate standard operating procedures for coordination through the ICS.
Although it was introduced in 2010, the ICS implementation in the Philippines still remains a challenge for local chief executives, according to de Asis.
“Kahit na nasa batas pa po ‘yon ay hindi po gaanong kadali sa ating mga local government units na i-adopt ang konsepto ng ICS dahil kailangan nito ng budget at qualified na tao na uupo,” he said.
In an interview in between the sessions, Nueva Era town mayor Aldrin Garvida acknowledged the important role of ICS in critical decision-making.
On the other hand, Major Freddie Evangelista of the OCD lauded the municipal mayor of Dumalneg, Lervie Espiritu, for being the only local chief executive in Ilocos Norte to complete a previously-conducted ICS training course.
Originally, the ICS training runs for three consecutive days but it was shortened to just one day in Ilocos Norte to benefit all mayors.
Evangelista expressed hope that after the training, the participants will be able to apply the concepts they learned when a disaster arises. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
