By Mariela Angella Oladive
As coastal communities in Iloilo face increasing threats from stronger typhoons, rising sea levels, and climate-related disasters, the provincial government has inaugurated a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Inter-Agency Resilience Hub in Carles to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. led the inauguration on March 10, stating that the facility was initially planned as the headquarters for the Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force and a management center for the Visayan Sea.
However, it later evolved into a centralized command center addressing disasters, climate change, food security, and health crises.
The resilience hub will serve as a municipal extension of the Provincial Civil Defense Service of Iloilo (ProCiD Serv Iloilo)—an initiative that integrates disaster risk reduction, disease control, security, food security, and education into a comprehensive emergency response system.
“We recognize that there are prevailing, lingering, and continuing states of national emergencies. So this facility that we give to municipalities will be the headquarters to take care of lingering states of emergencies,” Defensor said.
He added that the hub is also expected to help address rising dengue cases in the province.
The two-story, PHP10-million facility was jointly funded by the provincial and municipal governments, with each contributing PHP5 million.
It is the first of its kind completed through local government collaboration.
Similar facilities are currently under construction in the coastal municipalities of Estancia, Banate, Concepcion, and Ajuy.
Cornelio Salinas, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the facility is designed to enhance the operational capacity of local government units, particularly in disaster preparedness and emergency response.
“Equipped with modern communication and monitoring tools, this hub will enable real-time information gathering, swift decision-making, and coordinated emergency response efforts,” Salinas said.
He added that the hub will serve as a safe space for disaster planning, simulation exercises, and capacity-building programs for both responders and the community.
Salinas emphasized that the facility highlights the shared responsibility of disaster risk reduction and underscores ongoing collaborative efforts to build safer, more resilient communities.
Also present at the event were Carles Mayor Siegfredo Betita, Vice Mayor Arnold Betita II, Anilao Mayor Lee Ann Debuque, and Office of Civil Defense VI 24/7 Operations Unit Head and Regional Spokesperson Tina Mayor.
Municipal DRRM representatives from other towns also attended to learn about operating a resilience hub in their respective areas.