Mayor orders operation of incident command system during emergencies, disasters

Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ordered the implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS) of the city government during emergencies, disasters, and drills to strengthen the city’s preparedness and response capabilities.

Recently, the mayor issued Executive Order No. 157 dated Nov. 20, 2025 mandated the activation of ICS during actual emergencies, incidents or disasters affecting the city; and, during citywide or nationwide drills and exercises including the quarterly Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) and other activities as directed by the Office of Civil Defense – Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-CAR).

The city mayor shall serve as the Responsible Official (RO), providing overall policy direction, strategic decisions, and ensuring availability of resources for response operations.

The head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) shall serve as the Incident Commander (IC) unless otherwise designated by the RO depending on the nature or scale of the incident.

Meanwhile, the City Administrator shall support the RO in inter-office coordination and resource mobilization.

The Smart City Command Center (SC3) shall function as the Incident Command Post (ICP) at the Baguio City Convention and Cultural Center unless a forward command post is established nearer the incident site while the CDRRMO building shall serve as the Operations Center ensuring the activation of appropriate ICS functional sections from operations, planning, logistics, finance/administration, and information management – whenever ICS is activated.

The mayor orders all personnel of the city government, line agencies and barangays who have completed the Basic ICS training or higher shall form part of the City ICS Pool of Trained Responders to be mobilized or designated as needed.

The mayor likewise directs all departments, agencies and institutions to align their emergency operations with the city’s ICS framework and to activate their internal response structures particularly the following:

The Department of the Interior and Local Government – Baguio, Liga ng mga Barangay, and City Mayor’s Office – Special Services Division to activate Barangay DRRM committees and barangay ICP;
The Hotels and Restaurant Association of Baguio, business establishments and malls shall ensure business continuity and emergency response plans;
The Benguet Electric Cooperative to ensure emergency power safety and restoration protocols;
The Baguio Water District to ensure water system safety and emergency continuity of service;
Telecommunication providers in the city to implement redundancy and public alert mechanisms;
Educational institutions to conduct campus emergency response and evacuation procedures;
The Baguio City Police Office, Bureau of Fire Protection and Baguio City Fire Station to perform search, rescue, firefighting and law enforcement operations;
The City Health Services Office and hospitals shall activate their ICS relative to hospital protocols;
The City Environment and Parks Management Office, the City Engineering Office, the City Administrator’s Office, and volunteer groups shall provide logistics, engineering, and volunteer coordination;
The Public Information Office in coordination with media partners shall ensure effective risk communication and information dissemination;
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Groups and Philippine National Police Units shall assist in security, rescue, and support operations; and,
The CDRRMO to oversee incident coordination, monitoring, documentation, and evaluation.

Following national DRRM protocols, the city government shall coordinate with OCD-CAR upon activation of the ICS to ensure technical support, guidance, and post-incident evaluation.

In addition, the CDRRMO shall conduct an After-Action review (AAR) following every incident or exercise and submit a post-activity report to the City Mayor and OCD-CAR within five working days – detailing observations, lessons learned, and recommendations.

Funding requirements for the CIS activation and implementation including supplies, equipment, communication, transportation, meals, and other necessary operating expenses, shall be charged against the Local DRRM Fund and/or other available local funds, subject to accounting and auditing rules.

Moreover, the CDRRMO in coordination with the City Budget Office and City Accounting Office shall ensure that sufficient provisions are included in the Annual investment Program (AIP) for the continuous operation, maintenance and enhancement of the City ICS. – JM Samidan