The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) conducted Basic Incident Command System (ICS) Training on April 14-16, 2021, at the Veranda, Casisang, Malaybalay City. A total of 41 participants from different offices attended the seminar-workshop facilitated by Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Region 10.

The 3-day activity aims to conduct a basic level of training, highlighting discussions on the core principles, features, and functions to develop better appreciation and understanding of the program, since it has been proven effective in managing potential and actual disasters.

This system also helps significantly in enhancing the mechanisms for resource management, reporting and documentation, promotion of responder safety, and optimum achievement of response objectives as evident in past major disaster response operations, and including management of planned high-density population gatherings.

Following the enactment of RA 10121, otherwise known as the Philippine DRRM Act of 2010, the Philippine government took a proactive approach to manage the natural or human-induced disasters and reduce risks by institutionalizing various mechanisms. One of these tools is the use of ICS.

ICS is also one of the flagship programs of OCD. Under various NDRRMC issuances, ICS has been institutionalized as an on-scene disaster response tool of the Philippine DRRM System — a standard, on-scene, and all-hazard incident management concept introduced by the US Forest Service that can be used by all DRRM Councils, emergency management, and response agencies. It is a disaster response tool that coordinates the actions of all response groups.Report by: Ro-an Tagaan, CDRRMO-NADA