Iriga: 50 PNP Personnel Undergo Disaster Preparedness and Rescue Operations Training

A total of 50 personnel from the Regional Support Units are participating in a five-day seminar on disaster preparedness, search, rescue, and retrieval operations, which commenced today, July 25, 2025, at PRO 5 Sandigan Park, Camp BGen Simeon A. Ola in Legazpi City with PBGEN NESTOR C BABAGAY JR., ARD, PRO 5, as the guest of honor and keynote speaker.

Participants include personnel from the 9th Special Action Battalion, Special Action Force; Regional Highway Patrol Unit 5; Regional Forensic Unit 5; Police Regional Training Center 5; Regional Maritime Unit 5; Regional Medical and Dental Unit 5; and the Regional Recruitment and Selection Unit 5.

The seminar aims to equip police personnel with the critical knowledge and hands-on skills necessary to respond effectively to both natural and man-made disasters. This training reflects the PNP’s commitment to enhance the preparedness and resilience of first responders, in alignment with national efforts to strengthen community safety and disaster risk reduction.

In his message, PBGEN BABAGAY JR. emphasized the importance of the training.

“This training is your essential toolkit to meet that responsibility head-on. Over the next five days, you will gain the specific skills and knowledge PRO 5 needs. You will learn how to prepare effectively before disaster strikes—anticipating risks and reducing vulnerabilities to climate-aggravated hazards. You will master proven search and rescue techniques for floods, collapsed structures, and other critical scenarios. You will understand how to conduct sensitive retrieval operations with both speed and the utmost respect. Crucially, you will learn how to coordinate seamlessly as one team—not just within the PNP, but with our partner agencies and local government units. This unified response is the foundation of ‘building forward better’—ensuring no time is wasted, no lesson is ignored, and no risk is overlooked in our recovery efforts. This unified response is what saves lives.”

The training reinforces the vital role of personnel in disaster response and highlights the importance of inter-agency cooperation in achieving efficient and effective rescue and recovery operations. ###

Source: PNP Kasurog Bicol