DOLE personnel participate in earthquake, fire drill

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Some 80 personnel from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) participated in an earthquake and fire drill the other day at its regional office in the City of San Fernando.

The disaster-preparedness event was initiated by the DOLE and Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in observance of this year’s National Disaster and Resilience Month (NDRM).

Formerly called the National Disaster Consciousness Month, this year’s NDRM theme “4Ks: Kamalayan sa Kahandaan, Katumbas ay Kaligtasan,” highlights the shift from disaster awareness building to disaster resilience.

The event was also initiated as part of the regional office’s compliance with the Green our DOLE Program (GODP) and Government Excellence Class (GEC).

DOLE Regional Director Ana Dione said that the drill was timely organized and facilitated because of recent earthquakes and calamities experienced by the country.

“We have experienced earthquakes of quite strong magnitudes these past couple of months, thus the need to heed to government’s call to “prepare for the big one” – a quake with a magnitude of 7.2 to be generated by the West Valley Fault, which is already ripe for movement,” Dione said. “The DOLE, which is an agency that looks after the conditions of workers through its occupational safety and health programs, should actively take part in all sorts of disasterpreparedness training and schemes because disasters strike like a thief in the night,” she added. Pampanga PDRRMO Earthquake and Fire Drill Training Officers Rowel Tablante and Antonio Dungo and DOLE Internal Management Services Division Chief Lorna SM Toldoya, led the drill and orientation which led to the creation of the DOLE Central Luzon disaster control group comprised of the rapid assessment, rescue, evacuation (incident command system), medical, fire safety, communications, and logistics teams.

The DOLE regional and field offices are committed to hold regular or similar disaster-preparedness drills at the wake of unforeseen earthquakes and other calamities.— Jerry Borja/DOLE-3 LCO

in the illegal drugs trade as he reportedly operates in different areas around the city.

Pamintuan’s drug peddling was confirmed after he positively sold methamphetamine hydrochloride to a poseur buyer in a buy-bust operation which led to his death after allegedly initiating a gun fight with police operatives.

Recovered from the suspect’s possession were sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu of still undetermined value and a caliber .38 revolver which he used to fire at the police.

Meanwhile, at least 68 sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu with an estimated value of P68,000 were seized by the San Fernando Drug Enforcement Unit here in three separate antiillegal drugs launched Tuesday.

This city’s chief of police Superintendent Roland Agohob said that the buy-bust operations were conducted in Barangays Bulaon, Malpitic and Northville Calulut where one street-level target and seven newly-identified drug personalities were arrested.

Arrested in the Northville Calulut buybust were Bernie Malig, 40; Nerrieboy Sison, 29; Fidel Castro, 39; and Angelito Cruz; 41 while Ronnie Bondoc, 47; Lito Santiago, 44; and Analiza Barbera, 38; and Ronnie Pangilinan were nabbed in barangays Bulaon and Malpitic, respectively.

Agohob said that charges for violation of Sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act have been filed against the suspects.