The Philippine Public Safety College-National Police College (PPSC-NPC), in collaboration with the Philippine Academic Society and Climate Disaster Resilience (PASCDR), and the UP Resilience Institute (UP RI), hosted a summit with the theme “SHAKE UP: Optimizing Resilience for the BIG ONE.” The event was held on July 31, 2024 at the NPC Heroes Hall in Silang Cavite and via Zoom. The Summit was also featured on PTV’s morning news on August 1, 2024.
Featuring speakers from various national government agencies, PASCDR, UP RI, and the British Embassy, the summit aimed to enhance awareness about the latest research on earthquakes, seismic activity, and risk assessment, particularly focusing on the Big One.
The Summit started with welcome messages from Dr. Romeo S. Magsalos, MPSA, Director of the National Police College, and PBGEN. Vert T. Chavez (Ret.), Vice President for Academics of the Philippine Public Safety College.
Dr. Emmanuel M. Luna, President of the PASCDR, and Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco A. Lagmay, PASCDR Board Advisor and UP RI Executive Director, served as resource speakers in the Summit. Dr. Lagmay talked about preparing for the Big One in Metro Manila during the morning session, while Dr. Luna facilitated a worst-case scenario response-building exercise during the afternoon session. Dr. Marlon D. Era, a member of PASCDR’s Board of Trustees, acted as the overall moderator for the Summit.
Other speakers in the Summit were Engr. Erlinton Antonio Olavere from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, who discussed the latest earthquake updates in the Philippines, and Mr. Robin Lim from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), who shared the preparedness plan of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for a potential Magnitude 7.2 earthquake along the West Valley Fault in Metro Manila. The Office of Civil Defense also provided an overview of the Harmonized National Contingency Plan through a recorded presentation.
Mr. Paul Smythe from the British Embassy presented the principles of the Joint Emergency Service Inter-operability Programme (JESIP). PPSC supports the JESIP training to improve coordination and efficiency among emergency services in the Philippines by incorporating the program into elective courses in their Master in Public Safety Administration (MPSA) and Master in Crisis and Disaster Risk Management (MCDRM) programs.
The Summit saw 200 PNP personnel, who are also master’s students from PPSC-NPC, attending in person, while 120 participants from the Philippine Tri-Bureau and local government units (LGUs) joined via Zoom. It successfully brought together stakeholders from government and academia to foster collaboration in building resilient communities and infrastructure.
The event concluded with a closing message from PBGEN. Ferdinando G. Sevilla (Ret.), MPSA, President of the Philippine Public Safety College.
