Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Northern Luzon Command prepares for 'Yolanda'- like scenario

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12): Northern Luzon Command prepares for 'Yolanda'- like scenario

The Tarlac-based Northern Luzon Command on Wednesday announced that all its troops are undergoing training on effective and quick response should a "Yolanda" like scenario strikes its area of operation.

Major Emmanuel Garcia, 1st Civil Relations Group commander, said the training is made possible with the assistance of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd) and local government and police units in the area.

Training started last Feb. 9 and ended on Feb. 12, Garcia stressed.

This includes three-day basic life support and disaster preparedness training in Camp Aquino, Tarlac City.

Garcia said that the second leg of the program will be conducted in Sta.Ana, Cagayan with the soldiers from 21st Infantry Battalion and troops from the Naval Forces Northern Luzon from Feb. 14-16.

The third of a series will also be in Sta. Ana, Cagayan with teachers and barangay officials on Feb. 17 to 19 while future trainings in different municipalities are being finalized.

Garcia said that the training aims to enhance the response of troops and other government units during disasters and make people realize, particularly the calamity victims, that they too have certain responsibilities and a big role to play in disaster situation.

The series of training will focus on basic life support; pre, during and post disaster preparations, disaster response mechanism, relief distribution procedures, law and order during disaster situation, communications network and information flow in disaster situation; and family and community organization in calamity situation.

Among the topics that will be given emphasis are survival techniques, military food and water cache techniques or food stockpiling, indigenous water filtration and distillation methods and finding/processing indigenous edible materials.

Garcia said series of trainings is in line with the Northern Luzon Command's focus on disaster preparedness and response brought by climate change.

"We have a new enemy on the horizon, that is climate change and the disasters it brings and we can only win if we unite in preparing before these disasters strike," Northern Luzon Command head Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said.

The command has also identified and designated places in every military camp in northern and central Luzon as evacuation centers during disasters.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=615246

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