LAMITAN CITY, BASILAN— A multi-agency crisis management simulation exercise among disaster stakeholders was held at Lamitan City port on February 19, 2023, to assess the capability of the city government and its allied agencies in responding to disasters either man-made or natural made.
The activity was also designed to evaluate the response system of the concernned government agencies especially the Lamitan City Disasrer Risk Reduction and Management Office, to be able to assess the capacity of the teams in responding to hostile situation and in the end determine what more must be done to capacitate the rescuers in responding to any given situation.
The participating disaster teams were given two possible scenarios to respond to such as: hostage-taking inside a vessel ; Neutralizing threat and explosives inside a passenger ship.
The event was done at the port because it is the center of transport from other regions to the enter Basilan province.
“This is part of strengthening BARMM’s Preparedness and Response Capacity for Crisis Management,” Lamitan City Police Chief Lt. Col. Arlan Delumpines said.
“This simulation was designed to carry out the whole-of-government response; to formulate plans and to prepare for a possible crisis scenario,” Delumpines added.
“The activity includes counter hostile take-over of establishments, boarding and clearing of a passenger ship by which a team from Coast Guard Special Operations Group,” Coast Guard Station Basilan said in a social media post.
Two Coast Guards team led the Lamitan teadmin securing the bridge of the ship with PCG K9 Team Lamitan led by CG PO1 Ernesto F Delgado and EOD Units from PNP and AFP neutralizing the explosives and later cleared the ship.
“The simulation exercise was interactive that tests the capability of organizations or other entities to respond to any hostile or emergency situation,” Lamitan City Mayor Oric Furigay described.
The exercises exercises taught us how to deal with crisis and will lead us how to prepare in a given situation “We tested our strength to know our weaknesses sand from there we will hone our disaster preparedness plan.” Furigay added.
The Lamitan DRRMO spearheaded the simulation in collaboration with Lamitan City Police Office, 3rd Regional Mobile Force Company (RMFC), the army’s 18th Infantry Battalion, 53rd Special Action Company-Police Special Action Force (SAF), Philippine Coast Guard Lamitan and Philippine Coast Guard Special Operation- K9 field operating unit, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) as responding law enforcement agencies.-Grace Alconaba
