MANILA – The Office of Civil Defense-National Capital Region (OCD-NCR) has confirmed that ample resources are in place to ensure the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) National Rally for Peace on January 13 proceeds smoothly and safely. Director George Keyser of OCD-NCR emphasized that safety is the top priority for this significant gathering.
Keyser detailed that a robust deployment of over 120 personnel, including two light urban search and rescue teams from the Philippine Army’s 525th Engineer Combat Battalion, will be on site. They will be supported by 4,418 police officers and 1,200 personnel from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Keyser personally inspected the MMDA Mobile Command Center on TM Kalaw St. and engaged in discussions with Edwin Nasol, vice president for disaster preparedness and emergency response at the Society of Communicators and Networkers (SCAN) International, to refine security measures.
Nasol reported that 17,000 INC members are ready for emergency response duties. Additionally, Keyser met with Arnel Angeles, head of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) and Incident Commander, who updated him on the deployment of further resources.
In preparation for the rally, the Manila DRRMO and the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) have escalated their alert status to ‘red’. This heightened state of readiness is designed to guarantee comprehensive safety for the anticipated 500,000 to 1 million attendees at the Quirino Grandstand.
As the event approached, Keyser observed INC members arriving and filling parking areas from Anda Circle to Roxas Boulevard. He stressed the importance of inter-agency and local government collaboration for a seamless event, and mentioned the use of a Virtual Emergency Operations Center (VEOC) meeting via Zoom to monitor the rally continuously.