Military’s new tack: Disaster response

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Soldiers of the Philippine Army in Negros Oriental have undergone upgrading their skills in disaster response.

Captain Aldwin Cortes, of the Tanjay City-based 302nd Infantry Brigade, said 30 soldiers on Tuesday began their five-day training on water search and rescue, or WASAR, with the personnel of the Coast Guard Station in Dumaguete.

WASAR training is basically designed to prepare the soldiers and equip them with knowledge and skills on search and rescue techniques in any type of body of water, said Cortes, the brigade’s training officer.

The soldiers, all first-timers on this type of operations, will train on swimming, survival skills, underwater knot-tying, underwater first-aid and rubber boat and aluminum boat maintenance, among others. They are expected to complete their course on Saturday.

“This is in anticipation (of) possible eventualities, such as calamities,” Cortes said, adding that its secondary objective would be to ensure security of delegates and participants of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in the Visayas region this year.

Cortes also said a mountain-urban search and-rescue operations training is forthcoming, in coordination with the Provincial Fire Marshall and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.  — Judy Flores Partlow (FREEMAN)