By Noel Punzalan/Philippine News Agency
COTABATO CITY — More than 300 employees of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) participated in a simulated earthquake drill here Tuesday, which was aimed at preparing the workers in times of disasters.
The drill inside the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, the provisional seat of BARMM in this city, was spearheaded by the Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READI) – BARMM that replaced the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao – Humanitarian Emergency Assistance Response Team (ARMM-HEART).
Established in 2013 by then ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, ARMM-HEART is composed of rescuers and medical responders trained to serve even in hostile parts of the region. Capable and dependable workers of ARMM-HEART were absorbed into the READI-BARMM agency for the continuance of its rescue missions on natural and man-made calamities across the region.
Minister Naguib Sinarimbo of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) – BARMM was designated by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Murad to head READI-BARMM in concurrent position.
“The READI-BARMM remains as a confluence of various s agencies acting and responding as one in times of disaster,” Sinarimbo, also assigned as spokesperson of BARMM, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Sinarimbo described the earthquake drill as a means of measuring BARMM’s state of readiness in dealing with various disasters and, at the same time, instill the culture of readiness and preparedness in the region’s constituents.
He recalled that in 1976, a powerful tremor triggered a tsunami and greatly devastated Cotabato City and many parts of the region, causing many casualties.
“This is the reason why we always have to be prepared,” he said referring to the incident.
Meanwhile, Engineer Rainier Amilbahar of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology-Central Mindanao underscored the importance of the drill especially for employees, who can pass on the knowledge to their families.
Aside from MILG-BARMM, other agencies that participated in the drill were the Office of the Chief Minister, Bureau on Cultural Heritage, Office of the Regional Treasury, and the Regional Budget and Management Office.
The drill carried out under the theme “Kahandaan sa Sakuna’t Peligro Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago.” aligns with the observance of this year’s National Disaster Resilience Month.
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