(From left to right) P/COL Donald Madamba, Police Attache;  Col. Emmanuel A. Canilla PA(GSC), Defense Attache; Dir. Jekereen Joy R. Casipit, Director, Office of the Civil Defense Administrator (OCDA); Dir.  Eugenio A. Gepte Jr., Director, Capacity Building and Training Service (CBTS); Ambassador Gina A. Jamoralin; Usec. Ariel F Nepomuceno, Civil Defense Administrator; Dir. Jose Harry M. Barber, OIC, Policy Development and Planning Service (PDPS); Dir. Claudio L. Yucot, Regional Director, OCDRO V; Minister and Consul General Gonaranao B. Musor; and Mr Benito Salvador, Civil Defense Officer V (SG 26), Chief Disaster Risk Governance Division (DRGD), PDPS

(20 June 2024, Jakarta) - Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Gina A. Jamoralin received the delegation from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), led by OCD Administrator and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and Executive Director, Undersecretary Ariel F. Nepomuceno, where they discussed strategies and benchmarking opportunities with Indonesia as part of efforts to enhance disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in the Philippines.

With the assistance of the Office of the Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attache to Indonesia, Usec Nepomuceno, together with select OCD personnel, conducted an Exchange Learning Visit to Jakarta from 18 to 21 June 2024 to observe and assimilate the DRRM strategies and best practices employed by Indonesia.

During the visit, the OCD delegation engaged with key personnel and experts from the following Indonesian government agencies: the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasures (BNPB), the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre). The OCD delegation was also given the opportunity to visit the facilities of these agencies and gain invaluable insights into their operational mechanisms.

OCD, as one of the attached bureaus of the Philippines’ Department of National Defense (DND), is mandated to  administer a comprehensive national civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management program to reduce the Philippines’ vulnerabilities and risks to disasters and other hazards.

The Exchange Learning Visit in Indonesia affirms the Philippines and Indonesia’s commitment within the ASEAN framework to strengthen both nations’ defense capability against natural disasters through the implementation of mechanisms to enhance disaster preparedness and response. END.

OCD Usec. Ariel F Nepomuceno presents a token of appreciation to Ambassador Gina A. Jamoralin

Ambassador Gina Jamoralin and Usec. Ariel F Nepomuceno discuss opportunities to enhance the Philippines’ disaster preparedness and response mechanisms within the ASEAN framework