CALAMBA CITY
(PIA) – Regional disaster
officials in Region IV-A on
Thursday, July 6 have created special task forces
that will address hazards
specific to the Calabarzon
region.
This follows the
Office of Civil Defense
Memorandum 484 requiring the creation of task
forces to address complex
hazards, consistent with
the whole of government
approach of the national
government.
As the Regional
Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council
(RDRRMC) chair, the OCD
will lead all 11 task forces
while another government
agency with direct jurisdiction over a specific hazard
will act as the co-chair.
Based on
RDRRMC Memorandum No. 92, the hazards
include typhoons; fire
incidents; earthquake;
emerging and re-emerging
infectious diseases; pest
and diseases for crops
and livestock; armed conflict; air asset crash; and
chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high
yield explosives.
Each task force
will oversee the implementation of RDRRMC
activities, particularly on
disaster preparedness
and response and ensure
that the response clusters
are organized and operationalized from the pre-impact, impact, until post-impact phases.
The council also
formed task forces that will
focus on the Taal Volcano and maritime incidents
such as oil spills and sunken vessels.
OCD Calabarzon OIC and council chair,
Reyan Derrick Marquez
said the task forces were
created based on the region’s risk profile.
“It is envisioned
that we will include local
government units, until
the level of the cities and
the municipalities. We will
ensure that the mechanisms of the RDRRMC
are operationalized in the
phases of disaster response,” Marquez added.
Meanwhile, Marquez clarified that the newly created
regional task force does
not change the composi
tion, roles and responsibilities of the Calabarzon
RDRRMC.
Located in the
south-western part of
Luzon, the Calabarzon
region consists of various land forms, including
coastal areas and mostly
upland interior areas with
plains, mountains, and the
Taal volcano. Surrounded
by the Philippine Sea in
the east, the Verde Island
Passage in the South and
Luzon Sea on the west,
the region is vulnerable
to natural calamities such
as typhoons and volcanic
eruption, as well as manmade disasters such as oil
spills. (PB
