DA-10 personnel undergo a training on emergency preparedness and disaster and risk reduction management to proactively respond to unprecedented emergency cases in their households and workplace.

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A total of 50 employees of the Department of Agriculture – Region 10 underwent a three-day Emergency Preparedness and Disaster and Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Training in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City.

The training aims to capacitate the agency’s employees to proactively respond to unprecedented emergency cases in their households and workplace, especially noting the aggravating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the event of natural and human-induced hazards.

Cheryl T. Namoc, Civil Defense Officer II of the Office of the Civil Defense – Region 10, emphasized that as the pandemic remains a threat to public health and safety these days, an organization’s DRRM Program must have “new normal” features.

“With this pandemic the thematic areas of the National DRRM – disaster prevention and mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster response, and, rehabilitation and recovery must be carried out in conformance to new normal standards,” Namoc accounted.

She also purported that an organization must be able to organize and activate its own Disaster Coordinating Group (DCG) to effectively mitigate disaster occurrence.

Osin A. Sinsuat, Jr., Chief Geologist of the Mines and Geoscience Bureau –Region 10 apprised the participants on Basic Information on Geologic Hazards.

For their part, SINSP Arnold P. Lagbas, Chief of Fire Safety Enforcement Divison of the Bureau of Fire Protection – Region 10, and Mr. Jeffrey S. Perez, Supervising Science Research Specialist/Geologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) oriented the employees on Fire and Earthquake Safety at Home and in the Workplace during the training.

DA-RFO 10 Regional Technical Director for Operations, Carlota S. Madriaga said the agency annually conducts emergency preparedness training for its employees to keep them abreast with recent DRRM guidelines and updates, as it is crucial in capacitating the employees to be prepared responders in times of emergency.

“With this training we wanted the DA staff to be disaster-resilient so that in times of emergency, they can protect themselves and their family while being able to continuously serve the region’s farming communities,” Director Madriaga said.

Actual safety drills were also conducted to gauge the DA staff’s ability to reasonably respond to emergency instances.

The 3-day training capitulated with a workshop on Home and Workplace Risk Assessment.

Through which, participants identified appropriate measures to mitigate potential hazards in their household and workplace, making use of the safety knowledge and skills acquired in the training.#(ATalib)