THE Antique team competing at the 2026 Regional Rescuelympics. (OCD-6)
ILOILO CITY – The Office of Civil Defense-6 urged local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas to allocate budget to train Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) teams that will respond to collapse-building scenarios.
OCD-6 Regional Director Raul Fernandez said LGUs must also allocate budget for the procurement of specialized CSSR equipment.
The chairman of the Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-6) said a CSSR team is highly recommended as Western Visayas has two major earthquake generators – the West Panay Fault and the Negros Trench.
There are three CSSR teams in Western Visayas, at the Antique Provincial DRRM Office and provincial capital San Jose de Buenavista Municipal DRRM Office and the town of Pavia in Iloilo province.
Three LGUs have Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) capabilities, the regional capital of Iloilo City and the neighboring town of Oton and Aklan province.
The OCD-6 is set to conduct more CSSR training for LGUs of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo by October.
Meanwhile, the OCD-6 wrapped up the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) with the 2026 Regional Rescuelympics in San Jose de Buenavista.
Capiz emerged as the overall champion during the regional competition graced by OCD Assistant Secretary Cesar Idio.