NAGA CITY, Philippines — The City Government of Naga is further strengthening its disaster preparedness and response capabilities as part of Mayor Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo’s 2028 Finish Lines agenda for a Cleaner, Greener, and Flood-Resilient Naga and an Efficient, Agile, and Citizen-Focused Local Government.

The initiatives were among the major proposals approved during the 3rd Quarter meeting of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) for 2026 on September 23, which Robredo spearheaded to ensure that the city is better prepared to protect lives and property and respond quickly to emergencies.

Among the measures proposed by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) is the establishment of emergency water reserves in communities where fire trucks may have difficulty reaching residents because of narrow and congested alleys.

CDRRMO acting head and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) cluster head Raynor Rodriguez said at least 185 areas have been identified for the installation of container drums capable of holding at least 1,000 litters of water. The areas are classified into 34 red zones, 54 orange zones and 97 yellow zones.

The water-filled drums, which will be mounted on cart-like vehicles for easier mobility, will enable residents to act as first responders in containing fires while firefighters make their way into the affected areas. The water may be sourced from nearby waterways and does not necessarily have to come from the Metro Naga Water District.

Residents will be responsible for ensuring that the containers remain tightly sealed and properly maintained, making the system a community-based component of the city’s emergency response.

The CDRRMO also proposed the procurement and installation of three additional sirens to complement the city’s centralized siren alarm system. Each siren is designed to have a reach of about five kilometers, with the units to be installed in strategic locations to provide wider emergency alerts in the city.

Another proposal seeks the issuance of an executive order organizing an EOC-Incident Management Team (IMT) that will handle weather-related hazards, including flooding and typhoons, as well as earthquakes.

The team will consist of Naga LGU personnel who will undergo training under the Incident Command System (ICS) and will be mobilized before, during and after disasters under a unified command structure. This is intended to make the city’s emergency response more coordinated, systematic and efficient.

Robredo is also set to allocate a one-day executive course for all city department heads to give them a working understanding of how the EOC-IMT operates and their respective responsibilities during emergencies.

The Naga LGU has also conducted Incident Command System (ICS) trainings on several occasions to strengthen the city’s capacity to manage emergencies through a coordinated command structure. The system was adopted during the recent Peñafrancia Fiesta celebration and has also been used in previous years in managing typhoons and other emergencies, in coordination with the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other government agencies and response partners.

The measures reinforce the disaster-preparedness component of the 2028 Finish Lines, which calls for a flood-resilient city while strengthening institutional systems and governance to make the local government more efficient and responsive to citizens. The framework was institutionalized by Robredo through Executive Order No. 003, series of 2025, which directs city offices to align their plans, programs and resources with the eight strategic outcome areas.

For the Robredo administration, the preparations are designed not only to improve the city’s capacity to respond when disasters strike but also to give Nagueño families greater protection through a system where government personnel, responders and communities are prepared to work together before, during and after emergencies. | via Jason B. Neola, CMO-Public Information Division head