ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Site Task Group Emergency Preparedness and Response (STGEPR) under the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 6 has activated its coordination mechanisms to ensure the safety of delegates for the upcoming ASEAN 2026-related events in Western Visayas.
RDRRMC 6 Chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Western Visayas Regional Director Raul E. Fernandez, who leads the STGEPR, presided over the meeting on February 2 in Iloilo City, emphasizing the need for seamless inter-agency alignment.
“I know kayang-kaya natin ito [because] we have previous experience. So we have seen that we have the capability. Ang kailangan lang natin talaga is, of course, the constant coordination. We have to establish that system para maging effectively tayo,” he said, noting operational readiness and importance of inter-agency alignment.
(“I know we can do this because we have previous experience; we have the capability. What we really need is constant coordination. We have to establish that system for us to be effective.”)
Earlier this year, Fernandez issued RDRRMC Memorandum No. 02, series of 2026, officially constituting the ASEAN “Iloilo” and “Boracay” STGEPR-Regional Incident Management Teams (RIMT).
The STGEPR-RIMT is designed to manage high-level contingencies through a unified command system, ensuring that emergency protocols cover both the regional capital and the premier tourist destination.
During the meeting, the OCD 6 DRRM Division and Operations Section Chief, lawyer Melissa P. Banias, outlined the specific responsibilities of member agencies.
The deployment plan focuses on several critical task units including the Search and Rescue (SAR) for rapid response for any untoward land and water-based incidents; medical emergencies where the Department of Health (DOH) ensures the deployment of medical teams, specialized equipment, and standby support from local hospitals; aviation support with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) committing aircraft capable of emergency operations; and, enhanced telecommunications protocols to maintain a common operating picture among agencies, among others.
To note, Western Visayas previously hosted several ASEAN ministerial and high-level meetings in 2017.
Fernandez noted that the lessons learned from those events serve as the foundation for the 2026 preparations.
The STGEPR is currently coordinating closely with the Iloilo City Government, through its City DRRM Office, to synchronize local resources with regional deployment plans.
Earlier, the STGEPR required member agencies to submit their finalized deployment schedules and designate focal persons to ensure 24/7 coordination as the summit events approached. (AAL/FRG/PIA6)
