ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. appointed three executive assistants to lead the provincial government’s 24/7 Civil Defense Operations Center (CDOC).
Defensor recently converted the Governor’s Boardroom into an operations center to beef up the province’s response mechanisms to disasters and emergencies.
To secure the province’s northern portion during calamities, Defensor designated former vice mayor Merle Tupas of Carles as chief of Bantay Dagat in Northern Iloilo and the Visayan Sea.
Shalene Palmares-Hidalgo, former Sangguniang Panlalawigan member, will be focusing on social welfare.
Former Sangguniang Bayan member Aries Tedoco of Sara, Iloilo, meanwhile, was tasked to oversee the civil security and public order.
“Nagbutang kita sang counterpart dira sa CDOC to implement ining aggressive positioning of disaster risk reduction and management. Gusto naton nga mangin opisina ina sia nga buhi. We want to be dynamic kay ti sa subong naga-monitor na kita sang tanan nga puede naton i-monitor. Ang mga data naton from coronavirus to typhoon,” the governor said.
According to Defensor, the CDOC will be equipped with radio communication equipment and television monitors that will be used to track weather patterns from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration such as typhoon movement and rainfall volume, among others.
He said communication linkages with the 42 municipalities and one component city will be improved in order to get timely reports and information from the ground.
Aside from monitoring typhoons, the CDOC will also serve as the nerve center of the province in times of other disasters and emergencies just like the present health crisis due to coronavirus
The CDOC is going to be manned by personnel from different departments including those from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Engineering Office, and Provincial Health Office./PN
