CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) -- Home to historic churches, natural hot spring resorts, and other recreational and leisure areas, Laguna benefits from its proximity to visitors from Metro Manila, especially during the Holy Week and Summer breaks.

During an interview in the Philippine Information Agency’s radio program Usapang PIA, provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer Aldwin Cejo, shared that the provincial government of Laguna through the Laguna PDRRMO, has crafted an incident management action plan aiming to enhance preparedness, mitigate risks, and ensure the safety and well-being of all tourists and visitors for the Lenten observance and summer vacation.

The plan includes a 24/7 close coordination and sharing of information of security forces in the province for a more coordinated response to emergencies and threats, especially as Laguna anticipates around 80,000 tourists during these seasons.

“We are expecting an influx of travellers and visitors, those who are going to the resort and other destinations here in the province of Laguna, so according to our estimate more or less 80,000 or more travelers and visitors that we need to serve and prepare for their security,” Cejo stated.

Part of the action plan is the close surveillance of the province’s borders and in key areas such as religious sites, tourist attractions, transportation hubs, and crowded public spaces through the help of security forces including the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), municipal and city disaster officers to deter criminal activity.

“We have personnel observing in various towns, including DRRMO officers and the Laguna DRRMO Officers Association, as well as colleagues from the PNP, BFP, and Philippine Army who keep an eye on every street. Strategically, we have locations for incident command centers and staging spaces in each town,” he added.

Cejo shared that it is important for them to also coordinate with nearby provinces in the region to properly assist in times of need and to provide an immediate emergency response.

He added: “We are connected to them, we have their [nearby provinces] contact numbers and we also provide our contact number and hotline in case of need so that we can immediately provide resources, such as human resources and the material resources, and the disaster response and rescue equipment’s that are always ready.”

In 2023, Laguna received a Beyond Compliant award for the Seal of Gawad Kalasag bestowed by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for its exemplary performance on disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation efforts. 

“The Seal of Gawad Kalasag is very important. That's why we look at the Gawad Kalasag as a guide; the prize is just a bonus, and it's lucky that the province of Laguna is beyond complaint because we follow it in disaster prevention mitigation, disaster preparedness response, and rehabilitation recording.”

Laguna PDRRMO is committed in following the plans stipulated in the Gawad Kalasag framework during a vital travel season, not just to win the commendation, but because it has been proven effective in securing an orderly and peaceful province. (AM/PIA 4A)

Usapang PIA is a weekly radio program by the Philippine Information Agency Laguna, streaming live every Friday, 11:00am-11:30am on DZJV 1458 kHz Radyo Calabarzon and Philippine Information Agency CALABARZON and PIA Laguna Facebook pages.