GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 12 has produced 28 Incident Command System (ICS) cadres during the recently concluded Training For Instructors (TFI) for ICS at the Hotel de Viajera in Koronadal City on June 19–23, 2023.

Twenty-eight participants, who are all active members of the Regional and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (DRRMCs) from Region 12, including the PNP, BFP, BJMP, DILG, DepEd, DSWD, and different DRRM offices, worked hard to pass the five-day training program.

OCD 12 Regional Director Raylindo S. Aniñon congratulated the graduates for completing the training, saying they are now qualified to become instructors of the ICS and other DRRM courses.

“The OCD has invested in you. We are now asking you in return to give back your services to the people to make our region resilient and safer,” Aniñon said.

TFI is the last installment of the ladderized courses of the ICS, which comprise the Basic ICS Course, Integrated Planning Course, ICS Position Course Training, and All Hazards Incident Management Training.

TFI Course Coordinator Medardo Batiller was elated by the success of the training, as he believed that this batch of graduates is now capable of carrying out the implementation of ICS whenever it is necessary. Batiller is also the chief of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

Rolly Doane Aquino, officer-in-charge of the South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, who was also one of the participants, expressed his gratitude for the knowledge and skills he learned from the training. He also conveyed his commitment to helping the OCD promote the ICS.

ICS is a vital tool for effective disaster response that sets its primordial concerns on the safety of responders, implements and achieves the set tactical objectives, and ensures efficient use of resources.

The training sessions were supervised by OCD 12 Capacity Building and Training Services (CBTS) under Sheila L. Marginado-Hallig with experienced PEER Instructors from Bureau of Fire Protection Region 7 personnel led by Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon, SFO2 Edelson Sarvida, and SFO2 Conarcani Ortiz Jr., including PCapt. Warlito Toñacao of the Police Regional Office 12.

Assisting from Region 12 were TFI Instructors Pearl Joy Boholst and Joy Java, including Jorie Mae Balmediano and Adrian Mishael Gino Morallas, information officer and chief of operations, respectively, from OCD 12. (SFO1 Philip C Chan - BFP-Polomolok Fire Station/PIA SarGen)