The Office of Civil Defense in the Caraga Region (OCD-13) opened here Thursday its new office building and government and command center.
The PHP77 million facility in Barangay Bancasi will also serve as one of the government control and command centers (GCCCs) in Mindanao.
Three top officials of the Department of National Defense (DND) were present during the inauguration –Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director, Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu, and Assistant Secretary Hernando Caraig Jr.
They were joined by OCD-13 Director Liza Mazo and the provincial, city, and municipal level disaster risk reduction and management officers in the region.
Jalad led the earlier activities of the inauguration while Mapagu went on with the program and delivered the message of DND chief Delfin Lorenzana.
“I am happy for OCD Caraga for having a new home, with a state-of-the-art operations center and other facilities for the fulfillment of its mandate,” Lorenzana said in his message.
In 2017, Lorenzana said President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the establishment of disaster command centers in strategic areas in the country that are accessible to the people.
The two other disaster command centers established outside Metro Manila are situated in the cities of Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.
“This center is a manifestation of President Duterte’s concern for the people’s safety and to attain disaster preparedness and resilience,” Lorenzana said.
He said the center will ensure the continuous operations of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and the OCD, especially in times of disasters.
Source: Philippines News Agency
