DRRMOs in Lanao del Sur undergo second round of ICS training

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 7 (PIA) --- Provincial and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers (DRRMO) of Lanao del Sur have completed the second level of the Integrated Planning Course on Incident Command System, facilitated and funded by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao- Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM-HEART) on September 1-6, 2015 at the Seda Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

“The course was aimed to strengthen the capacity DRRMO in incident commanding should a natural or human disaster incident occur in the area,” said Myrna Jo Henry, media/communications officer of ARMM-HEART.

Henry said the course responds to issues and problems that usually crop up during calamities and disasters such as having many responders than necessary, unclear lines of authority and unclear incident objectives.

Participants were DRRMO of the provincial government and the municipalities of Bacolod Kalawi, Bayang, Binidayan, Buadi Puso Buntong, Ditsaan-Ramain, Lumba Bayabao, Lumbaca Unayan, Lumbatan, Marogong, Molondo, Piagapo, Saguiaran, and Wao.

There were also participants from the Philippine Army who are considered as the first-line of defense when a calamity or disaster strikes.

Ret. Colonel Tatar M. Boriongan, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Lanao del Sur, said most of the incidents in the province are human-induced such as family and clan feuds except for the municipalities of Ramain, Bubong and Buadi Puso Buntong which experienced flooding during typhoon Pablo last December 2012.

“When it comes to settling family and clan disputes and feuds in the province, Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Alonto Adiong, Jr. is at the forefront and with him are respected religious leaders of the province and his Provincial Council of Elders,” said Boriongan.

He said the governor is serious in extending help to all his constituents and this is the reason why he wants all the disaster risk and reduction officers in the municipalities to be capacitated and prepared for any unfortunate incident.

“Our DRRM office is also fully-equipped with rubber boats, generator sets, water pumps, rescue vehicles, ambulances, ropes, shovels, and even mannequins for our local trainings,” Boriongan added.

The ARMM-HEART is a brainchild of ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman. It is an emergency rapid response team providing coordinated actions by all regional line agencies and humanitarian organizations to limit the effects of disasters in the region.

It has a state-of-the-art emergency and operation center based in Cotabato City working 24/7 to monitor disaster, weather and occurrences affecting the people residing in the five provinces of the region namely, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. (PIO Lanao del Sur/APB/PIA-10)