OCD eyes modernization, boosted capabilities in 2024

Office of Civil Defense
Department of National Defense – Office of Civil Defense logo. (Courtesy of Civil Defense PH Facebook page)

By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency

The Office of Civil Defense plans to modernize and strengthen its civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) capabilities to better serve the public in times of calamities this year.

This came during Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of the agency’s officials led by OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno in Camp Aguinaldo, which tackled its tactical programs, legacy projects, comprehensive resilience master plans, and internal operational improvement.

In a statement, the OCD said some of the programs discussed include the formation and augmentation of DRRM teams; establishment of additional facilities such as the mobile command centers; reinforcement of DRRM partnerships with various sectors; launching of a civil defense training institute; enhancement of OCD’s systems; development of resilience master plans; among others.

During the meeting, Nepomuceno also emphasized the importance of having a clear direction that will facilitate effective prioritization of programs and identification of appropriate strategies.

“We want to systematically plan everything for the success of our plans and projects. With the help of our stakeholders, we strive to attain our goals and objectives and deliver better civil defense and DRRM services to the public,” the OCD chief said.

The OCD is set to hold a series of related meetings to further tackle the operational plan for its programs and projects.

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