Summit aims to unify rescue standards

CEBU, Philippines - In line with its thrust to promote disaster preparedness and response, the Cebu Provincial Government will hold the first provincial Search and Rescue (SAR) Summit from July 29 until 31 this year.

Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), explained that the three-day summit aims at promoting camaraderie among emergency responders and showcasing of best practices on emergency response.

It will also be an avenue for stakeholders to get insights on how to craft locally accepted guidelines in responding to emergency situations.

Tribunalo noted the absence of a unified standard in emergency response, considering that responders in the province have been exposed to different internationally accepted guidelines.  He said that such absence may impinge on the operations of the emergency response groups and may further create gaps among them.

“Since lahi-lahi man ta og standards, i-adjust lang nato ang protocol,” he said in a press conference yesterday.

He said they are planning to institutionalize the SAR summit and hold it annually in conjunction with the national disaster consciousness month of July.

Dennis Cortes, PDRRMO operations unit head, said the activity will also equip local responders with competencies and skills in their pursuit.

“Each team man gud has its own protocol. Other groups may be misguided tungod sa approach nga gigamit pod sa laing team,” he explained.

More than 300 members of local government, non-government, regional and national response groups are expected to participate in the summit, which will be held in three different venues.

Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino also noted the need to enhance the capacity and skills of emergency responders considering that the province is vulnerable to natural calamities.

“We were exposed to maritime incident (ship collision off Lawis Ledge in August 2013), typhoon Yolanda, and earthquake (7.2 magnitude that jolted Bohol and Cebu in 2013)… That is why we have to expose our responders to a higher level of training,” he said. — Michael Vencynth H. Braga/JMO (FREEMAN)