BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) gears up its preparedness measures for the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) 2025 commencement exercises this Saturday, May 17, to be graced by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Cordillera RDRRMC convened on Tuesday for a Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) meeting to discuss weather outlook that may prevail during the event, and the contingency plans of the council’s member agencies especially with the expected influx of visitors.
Based on the PMA update, they expect about 4,000 parents, visitors and guests who will be attending the commencement exercise at Fort del Pilar.
With the families and relatives of the graduating cadets coming from the different regions of the country, some would arrive in Baguio earlier.
Office of Civil Defense Regional Director RDRRMC chairperson Albert Mogol already issued a memorandum directing the council’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to be on “red alert” on May 17, and under “blue alert” the day before and after the event.
The RDRRMC Response Cluster chaired by Department of Social Welfare and Development is also directed to activate a virtual EOC, which will serve as the response cluster hub on May 17, for heightened monitoring, close coordination and smooth interoperability, among the cluster’s member agencies.
Mogol explained that aside from the presence of the President, the PMA graduation is a high-density population event, thus as a Standard Operating Procedure of the RDRRMC, preparedness measures, heightened monitoring and response readiness, must be ensured.
As a tradition, the President as the Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is the honored guest of honor during the PMA commencement exercises.
The PMA “SIKLAB-LAYA” Class of 2025 is composed of 266 cadets – with 54 females and 212 males. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)
