ILOILO City – For quicker response to emergencies, the city government is building a P38-million state-of-the-art Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) command center and satellite centers in seven districts.
“Even in the midst of the pandemic, I will do my best to fulfill the plans I have for Iloilo City. ICARE is one of these,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas.
ICARE is part of Treñas’ W.H.E.E.L.S. for Development Program under Welfare which includes strengthening the city’s resiliency.
According to Donna Magno, head of the newly-created City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), through a centralized emergency operation center and its satellites, the city government aims to establish an integrated response network based in every district that brings safety services closer to the people.
The ICARE facilities are located in strategic areas to ensure that help from concerned offices are readily available.
These offices are the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ICDRRMO), Iloilo City Emergency Responders (ICER), Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO), barangays, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The ICARE centers receive calls for emergency assistance such as for trauma cases, vehicular accidents, and even for the transport of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, among other medical emergencies.
The satellite centers will be connected to the command center that will soon be completed at the Iloilo City Center (ICC) along the Diversion Road in Mandurriao district.
Magno said the facilities will have emergency communications equipment, including security cameras that will serve as the command center’s and it satellites’ “eyes on the ground.”
They would make it easy to monitor the situation on the ground such as the flow of traffic, vehicular accidents, etc., she explained.
Citing a recent meeting with retired police colonel Uldarico Garbanzos, Treñas’ executive assistant for community welfare, the command center will be completed this May and would become fully operational by end of the second quarter or within the third quarter of this year.
The ICARE satellites are in Barangay Calumpang, Molo district; in Barangay Balantang, Jaro district; in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district in a property owned by the Jamora family (under a usufruct agreement); at the Iloilo Business Park (Megaworld) in Mandurriao district; in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz district; in Barangay Tanza Esperanza, City Proper; and Barangay Sooc in Arevalo district.
“These facilities are in strategic areas so they could respond faster. We are very thankful to our private sector partners for allowing portions of their properties to host the sites,” said Treñas.
The city mayor also stressed the importance of assuring investors of the city’s readiness and preparedness to respond to disasters.
STRENGTHENED DISASTER RESPONSE
The CDRRMO, as a newly-created department through Regulation Ordinance No. 2021-025, further strengthened the city’s disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) capabilities.
According to Magno, in the context of DRR and resilience work, this means putting in place the plans, systems and processes that will help the city “adapt and transform to the next level of resilience.” The establishment of the (ICARE) centers is just one of these.
It also includes strengthening the emergency telecoms network and ensuring the functionality of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC).
The CDRRMO is also strengthening the competencies of its personnel; improving the processes in the provision of technical inputs and implementation of DRR programs; strengthening DRR partnerships; and putting in place protocols for Iloilo City Emergency Response (ICER) team.
“It is the Mayor’s vision to make Iloilo City EOC a leading EOC in the Visayas,” Magno said.
The CDRRMO continues to undertake the KABALAKA (KAhublagan sa BArangay para sa LApnagon nga KAhandaan sa Kalamidad) webinars; it manages the ICARE in Calumpang and Balantang, facilitates projects of the CDRRMC, and provides technical support to Barangay DRRMC in the enhancement of their Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans.
RESILIENCE CHAMPION
The efforts and initiatives of the city government under Treñas in terms of making Iloilo City resilient have reaped several awards.
For himself, the city mayor was recently cited as “Resilience Champion” by the National Resilience Council.
“Bilang amay sang ciudad, padayon ko gid nga ginasulong ang kaayuhan kag proteksyon sang aton mga kasimanwa. Nalipay gid ako nga ginkilala ini sang nagkalain-lain nga ahensya. Daku gid ang akon pagpasalamat sa CDRRMO sa pag-upod sa akon sa sini nga inisyatibo,” said Treñas.
December last year, Iloilo was also conferred with the “Beyond Compliant” award after getting a high rating which exceeded the standards for the establishment and functionality of the Local DRRM Councils and Offices.
Iloilo City was also 1st Place in Resilience for Highly-Urbanized Cities Category in the 2019 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index Awards by the Department of Trade Industry during the 7th Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Oct. 24, 2019
Moreover, Iloilo City was also a finalist for Highly Urbanized City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in the 21st Gawad Kalasag National Awards 2019 held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Dec. 6, 2019./PN
