(Photo courtesy of PNA)
MANILA – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has joined the government’s emergency response task force for the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits scheduled from November 16 to 18, deploying personnel and specialized equipment to strengthen emergency preparedness and security operations.
In a statement Wednesday evening, the OCD said Administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros participated in the ceremonial send-off of emergency response teams on November 11.
A total of 774 personnel and 119 specialized assets were mobilized to support emergency operations during the international gathering.
The deployed equipment includes ambulances, fire trucks, resource vehicles, engineering machinery, transport units, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response trucks, tactical radios and Starlink satellite communication systems.
The OCD leads the Joint Task Group on Emergency Preparedness and Response under the Committee on Security, Peace and Order, Emergency Preparedness and Response (CSPOEPR).
The task group is responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response measures to protect visiting foreign delegates, summit organizers and the public.
According to the OCD, the deployment reflects a coordinated effort among government agencies to ensure rapid emergency response and maintain public safety throughout the three-day summit.
The agency emphasized that the mobilization forms part of the government’s broader security and emergency preparedness arrangements for the international event.
