SEA RESCUE. Responders rescue a' victim' of a 'sea mishap' during a simulation exercise by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Western Visayas here on Friday (Nov. 8, 2019). After the initial assessment, the council is looking at improving communication among line agencies during emergencies and rescue operations. (PNA Photo by Gail Momblan)
ILOILO CITY -- The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Western Visayas (RDRRMC 6) will boost the communication among its line agencies for better emergency and rescue operations.
The RDRRMC on Friday held a simulation exercise at the Iloilo Strait to identify aspects to improve on during sea rescue. The incident command post, emergency operations center, and the triage area of patients were located here.
In an interview at OCD 6 office in Camp Delgado, Jose Roberto Nuñez, RDRRMC 6 chairman and Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) 6 regional director, said line agencies lack communication with each other.
“I was in the operations office earlier, and I saw that communication is the problem,” he said.
He cited the delivery of reports, which are immediately needed in the operation center, is hampered.
“What is needed in the initial (information), of the who, what, when, where, and how,” he added.
Nuñez said communication is a vital aspect in responding and saving lives, noting that cellular phones of the members of the agencies, and even the public can be utilized to transmit important information, he added.
“And in the absence of cellphones, we have the radio, which means that other concerned agencies like the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Coast Guard, have their own communication linked to other agencies,” he said.
The port-to-port communication also needs to be improved, he said.
The personnel assigned at the port in Iloilo must inform those in Guimaras of the time a motorized banca has sailed.
“In this manner, when a motorized banca has not arrived in the other port for 20 minutes, we will immediately respond,” he said.
To address the concern in communication, Nuñez said he will call for a series of briefings and meetings, and release memorandum for the line agencies “to take it seriously.”
Meanwhile, the simulation exercise on sea rescue will be brought to other parts of Western Visayas.
In September, the same simulation exercise was also held at the Iloilo Strait while the victims were brought to Jordan Wharf in Guimaras.
“We plan to bring this simulation to the island and coastal villages in the region for us to also brief the residents being the first responders when sea emergency happens,” he said.
On Aug. 3, three motorized bancas plying Iloilo and Guimaras routes capsized off Iloilo Strait, killing 31 people. (PNA)
