The provincial government of Bohol is set to establish a unified command center which will house personnel from state security forces and firefighting and medical teams tasked to facilitate the deployment of operatives who will respond to various emergencies.

According to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Anthony Damalerio, the provincial government will construct a new building for the multi-agency command center inside Camp Esteban Bernido in Tagbilaran City.

The structure will be erected near the offices of the PDRRMO and TaRSIER 117, the province’s emergency response unit.

Damalerio said that the provincial government is planning to allot P10 million for both the structure and equipment of the facility.

The command center will be manned by around 20 personnel from the Philippine Army, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard and other government agencies.

“Kung insurgency problem, naa ang Army. Kung sunog, naa ang Bureau of Fire. Kung dagat, naa ang Coast Guard. Mas paspas ang dispatch,” said Damalerio.

The PDRRMO chief noted that construction is initially scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2020.

“Naa pa sa procurement stage na, mga second quarter siguro,” he said.

According to Damalerio, the facility will be patterned after Sta. Rosa City’s state-of-the-art Central Command Center which he personally visited as part of the project’s planning stage.

Sta. Rosa’s Central Command Center is a local version of the 911 Rescue which caters to residents and visitors in the city round the clock. (RT)