Saving lives through civil defense

One of the most noble roles that anyone can have is the opportunity to save lives. During crisis moments, catastrophes and life-threatening calamities, there are silent heroes who set aside their own safety and comfort to move other beleaguered people from harm’s way. During the most severe and critical onslaught of typhoons, floods and earthquakes, there are those amongst us who would continue with the selfless act of ensuring the safety of others. Risk. Peril. Hazard. These would not stop them from their mission.

I have personally witnessed the dedication of many men and women who walked the extra mile in preparing, responding to and managing the recovery of our people amidst the perennial tragedies caused by nature.

For my column today, I’ve decided to recognize the valiant contribution of the personnel of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). This is the least I could do to honor my colleagues who worked with me for the last three years during dozens of devastating typhoons, floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and human-induced tragedies such as oil spills and infrastructure failures.

I’m blessed to have worked with them. We shared countless coordination meetings along with other national government agencies. We also collaborated with huge organizations such as the ARISE Philippines, the Phil. Disaster Resilience Foundation and GMA Kapuso Foundation.

Coordinating everyone for a common goal was challenging. Handling the coordination was not easy nor simple because this involved huge human and logistical resources that we simultaneously deployed prior, during and after the trying and tumultuous incidents. Managing the limited capabilities of our country to sufficiently assist the residents who were displaced and overwhelmed by disasters was daunting. Fact is, relief goods and other emergency provisions will never be enough, at least from the vantage point of the afflicted communities. This is understandable.

Surviving inside the crowded evacuation centers would hardly be a pleasant experience in the midst of the traumatic experience and the uncertainties. The paranoia that the same eventualities would happen again could be felt and seen. We could only do so much. The meaning of empathy and humanity must have been defined during such dire occasions. Believe me, words were never enough to describe the plight of our people, especially hours and a few days after the devastating crisis.

Field work was far from easy. We visited the adversely affected communities within 48 hours after the calamity struck their areas. We had to be there. Somebody who can significantly help the affected communities must be there. At once. Not later.

I’m personally impressed by the energy of Secretary Rex Gatchalian of DSWD. I almost always expected that he would be on the disaster’s ground zero immediately. Because he always was there, along with his team led by Undersecretary Diane Cajipe. Then later, President Bongbong Marcos would personally supervise the efforts with no regard also for his safety. They would ride the plane, at times the vintage presidential chopper which scared everyone because the Chief Executive wouldn’t care if the winds and clouds could strike down the decades-old air assets we’re all in. For every trip we had, I always thought, worried actually, how much insurance coverage I have.

I’m thankful and lucky for our home team. The Office of Civil Defense in Camp Aguinaldo is probably one of the busiest organizations in the country, particularly during calamities. Is there any month that we didn’t have one? We are regularly visited by tropical cyclones with an average of 20 per year. Earthquakes happen daily. Stronger ones at least twice annually. This is normal due to our location in the Pacific Ring of Fire, plus the active trenches and fault systems that traverse our archipelago. Mount Kanlaon’s prolonged restlessness has kept OCD’s personnel on red alert in the Negros Island Region for more than six months already. The evacuees are restless, the LGUs are pressured with their meager financial ability to sustain the support for their displaced constituents. I know, the rainy season aggravates their situation.

I’m fortunate to have worked under the leadership of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. His clear guidance and support for all the challenging trials that we confronted were invaluable. He declined any chance to be in the limelight during operations. His humility and wisdom have always inspired me and my team. We owe him. The country owes him.

I cannot mention all the names of those who worked with me during the hardest moments when there were disasters hitting the country. But I must thank my core group headed by Assistant Secretaries Jek Casipit, Raffy Alejandro, Ret Gen. Cesar Idio, Charlie Bathan, Henry Robinson. My gratitude also to Ret General Harold Cabreros who handled our procurement with integrity, Director Agnes of our Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell, Ret Col. Eugene Gepte of our Training Institute and OCD’s spokesperson Atty Chris Bendijo.

Recently, continuous heavy rains flooded almost the entire country. Landslides, storm surges and cries for help are all over the news. I’m sure that my former colleagues in OCD are working with the same usual rigor and selflessness. While everyone else is in the safety of their homes, there are those in my former office who are planning, coordinating and mobilizing to save lives.