Bicol: Members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Bicol (RDRRMC-5) began updating the region’s disaster response plan on Tuesday. Claudio Yucot, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol and chairperson of RDRRMC-5, stated that the four-day workshop aims to create an accurate and up-to-date disaster response plan that meets the needs and situations of local government units during typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and terrorism-related incidents.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Bicol Region is revising its Disaster Response Plan in accordance with the National Disaster Response Plan 2025. This update is timely, especially given the recent earthquakes occurring in the country. The updated plan seeks to ensure that the response strategy is current and effective. Participants in the workshop are members of the Bicol Region Response Cluster responsible for managing disaster responses when calamities occur.

The Department of National Defense has instructed the conduct of localized earthquake drills in municipalities and cities, especially in areas typically not included in national drills, such as terminals, churches, and ports, where many passengers come and go. Claudio Yucot emphasized that these drills should be incorporated into the defense department’s instructions as part of the preparation for potential disasters in the Bicol Region.

The outcome of the workshop will be disseminated to provincial, municipal, and city local government units. These units will base their activities on their own disaster response plans and update them according to the framework presented for the 2025 Disaster Plan.