ILOILO City – The Iloilo City Government is institutionalizing resiliency and preparedness through Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) centers across the metropolis.
ICARE operates as a centralized emergency operation center, manned by personnel from the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
It is the brainchild of Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, crafted under his roadmap for good governance called “W.H.E.E.L.S. for Inclusive Development” which focuses on Welfare, Health, Education, Environment, Livelihood, and Sustainability.
Soon to be renamed Iloilo City Action and Resilience Centers as suggested by the National Resilience Council, ICARE is becoming a model benchmarking hub for local government units (LGUs), from barangays to national government agencies.
Senior officers and regional directors from national and regional offices of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) visited ICARE Gaisano City Center in Mandurriao district as part of their Senior Leaders and Command Conference recently.
The Iloilo City team, led by City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Officer Donna P. Magno, showcased the facility, its primary functions and response capability to the delegates.
“It is always our privilege to be able to share our best practices at the ICARE to our fellow public servants and DRRM practitioners,” said Magno.
For three consecutive years, from 2021 to 2023, Iloilo City has been conferred with the highest award for DRRM by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Iloilo City received the highest rating of “beyond compliant” during last year’s 23rd Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence in DRRM Councils and Offices.
“Beyond compliant” rating is given to LGUs that exceed the standards for establishment and functionality of local DRRM councils and offices, or have best practices that are beyond the regular DRRM programs.
OCD Region 6 director Dr. Raul Fernandez said they can share back to their respective region or replicate their learning during the tour especially the facility’s best practices on emergency response. He also assured support and future collaborations with Iloilo City.
The delegates were also impressed by the city’s pro-activeness and well-equipped facility.
They were Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV, Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Administration; Director Cesar Idio, CESO V, Director III, Operations Service; Director Eugenio Gepte Jr., Director III, Training Institute; Benito Salvador Jr., acting chief of DRRM Development and Standards Division; Region Director Leon DGG. Rafael Jr. of OCD Region 2; Regional Director Claudio L. Yucot of OCD Region 5; Regional Director Ramon M. Ochotorena of OCD Region 9; Regional Director Joel Q. Mamon of OCD BARMM Region; Regional Director Tony B. Sugatol of OCD Region 10; Director Fernandez; Ma. Aletha A. Nogra, chief of DRRM Division – OCD Region 6; Susana Quiambao, chief of Response and Operational Coordination Division, OCD; and Eugene F. Galang, officer-in-charge of 24/7 Operations Center, OCD.
The city government allocated P40.7 million for ICARE Gaisano City Center; P34.9 million for ICARE Nabitasan; P33.5 million for ICARE Megaworld; P29.9 million for ICARE Tanza; P28.9 million for ICARE So-oc; P15.9 million for Taal; P13 million for Ungka; and P11.5 million for ICARE Calumpang.
The properties have been donated by private partners at Ungka by Jamora family, and big businesses Gaisano and Megaworld.
Currently, there are five operational ICARE centers located in barangays Balantang and Ungka in Jaro district; Gaisano in Mandurriao district; Barangay Calumpang, Molo; and Barangay So-oc, Arevalo.
The city is establishing four more facilities located in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz; Barangay Tanza Esperanza, City Proper; Barangay Taal, Molo; and Megaworld in Mandurriao, which are targeted to be operational before this year ends.
“Because the emergency response was decentralized and services are now closer to the people, barangay leaders noticed that the response time lowered from what was formerly 10 to 15 minutes to 7 to 8 minutes,” Magno said.
She added: “When we call the C4 (Central Command, Coordination, and Communication) Center for the fire department, four ICARE satellites automatically receive the information, and the nearest ICARE is able to respond first.”
Here is the breakdown of the weekly consolidated calls catered from Feb. 12 to 18 by each ICARE center : ICARE Gaisano (60 calls), ICARE Calumpang (31), ICARE Ungka (22), ICARE Balantang (21), and ICARE So-oc (eight), all of which were responded to immediately by the authorities.
CDRRMO continues to establish disaster preparedness and mitigation at the community level and conduct a series of lakbay-aral activities for barangay officials and staff at ICARE Gaisano which started in September 2023.
“I see the importance of making and submitting situational reports to C4 to provide updates on the ground and in the whole barangay,” said Barangay Captain Robert Dolar of PHHC Block 22 in Mandurriao.
“The city government is doing its responsibility to bring emergency services closer to the people through speedy delivery of services. But then we also want to encourage people to self-help because even if there are emergency service officers for immediate response, it’s different if they have skills that can be readily applied,” Magno said.
“Risk reduction is the work of everyone — the city government, community, and private sectors — where security becomes a daily part of the people’s lives. It is about bringing services closer to constituents and tapping the barangay leaders as partners,” she added.
Through ICARE, the city government, in partnership with private sector, aims to establish an integrated response network based in every district to bring safety services closer to the Ilonggo community./PN
