The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) is eyeing the inauguration of its PHP100-million operations center and warehouse in the northern part of the city by November this year to boost disaster preparedness and response.

Sher Rysiah Saises, OCD-Eastern Visayas disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) division Officer-in-Charge, said the project is just the first of three phases.

Under phase two are the construction of administration and training buildings and other facilities for skills training venues, with a budget requirement of PHP160 million for 2025–2026.

“This will also be the pioneer training center for the whole OCD community as mandated in Republic Act 10121, or the DRRM law. We will be catering to the training needs of other regions,” Saises said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press briefing here on Tuesday.

In March 2023, the OCD held a groundbreaking for a PHP300-million first integrated regional office at the Government Center in Palo, Leyte.

It will be the first regional office with a command center and a warehouse to store prepositioned goods. Since 2014, the office has been renting office spaces in Tacloban City.

Saises said actual civil works have not started since the development of the lot area is still ongoing.

There are also “needed documentary requirements and polishing of plans.”

OCD is an agency under the Department of National Defense and serves as the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

It is tasked with providing leadership in the continuous development of strategic and systematic approaches, as well as measures to reduce vulnerabilities and risks to hazards and manage the consequences of disasters. (PNA)