With the theme, “KUMIKILOS — Para sa Kahandaan, Kaligtasan at Katatagan,” the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, through its Environment, Disaster Management and Emergency Response Office (EDMERO), successfully concluded the Basic Incident Command System (ICS) as part of the lined-up activities for the celebration of the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) 2025.
Held at the Digital Transformation Center, Cadlan, Pili on July 2-4, 2025, the ICS was attended by 60 participants from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council representing various agencies, including the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Land Transportation Office, and Civil Service Unit Camarines Sur. Cadres from EDMERO, along with other personnel, served as the instructors for the entire training.
The ICS is one of the flagship programs of the Office of the Civil Defense as mandated by RA 10121, also known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, which aims to enhance the nation’s system for disaster risk reduction and management. It is a protocol for disaster response designed to unify complex networks of different government agencies to work together towards a shared set of goals to effectively respond to incidents and emergency operations.
Eight (8) modules were completed by the participants, where they learned about the composition of the ICS organization, the roles and responsibilities of Incident Management Team members, the basic ICS facilities, their uses, and mapping symbols, managing planned events and incidents, assessing the event and management objectives, organizing and managing resources, event planning, and transferring of command, demobilization, and closeout.
Instructors utilized various techniques, including interactive lectures, visual presentations, workshops, organized learning activities, and practical demonstrations to enhance participants' understanding of ICS.
2LT. Alexa Mye Valen from the 83rd Infantry Battalion 9thID, Philippine Army, one of the participants, shared her gratitude for the training.
“As part of the Philippine Army na isa rin kami sa mga forces and first responders sa mga calamities especially dito sa Bicol Region na maraming bagyo [ang dumarating], sobrang privileged po ako na maging part ng ICS training kasi, as an officer, mahalaga po talaga na marunong kaming mag-manage ng mga resources and personnel namin. Ang pinakanatutunan ko talaga dito sa ICS course, ang management po.”
“To our instructors po ng ICS training, maraming salamat po for sharing your knowledge and experiences to us. And sa mga kasama ko pong participants ng training, sana po magampanan natin ang ating mga roles [during emergencies],” she furthered.
Meanwhile, John Manaog, LDRRMO III, Public Safety Unit Head, and one of the instructors from EDMERO left an impactful message to the uniformed participants during the closing program.
“I encourage each of you to not only retain what you have learned but to apply it in your respective roles. Use your knowledge in ICS during the drills, table exercises and most importantly during an actual scenario. Let this be not the end of your learning journey, but the beginning of a stronger commitment, emergency preparedness, and response. Kaya, continue to seek opportunities for further training, and also share what you’ve learned with your teams and communities,” he said.
