The new P23-million command center of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) in Tagbilaran City was inaugurated on Sunday.

Governor Edgar Chatto and Senator Joseph Victor Estrada, who was in Bohol for the commemoration of late Boholano president Carlos P. Garcia’s birth anniversary, led the inauguration of the facility inside Camp Governor Esteban Bernido in Barangay Dao.

The command center is replete with a call center and various modern emergency response and public safety equipment.

At least 50 personnel have been tasked to man the facility and respond to emergencies across the province.

The PDRRMC facilitates emergency response through TaRSIER 117 (Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response), the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection and various offices.

The new facility is part of the local government agency’s bid to improve the public’s access to emergency response and the PDRRMC’s communication and monitoring capabilities.

Although TaRSIER 117 has its own response unit, it is mostly coordinative as it is tasked to facilitate response from police, fire and health authorities, among others. (rt)