Gov’t personnel in Bago trained on management of dead, missing persons

BACOLOD City – Personnel of various government offices and agencies in Bago City, Negros Occidental are attending the five-day Coaches’ Training on the Management of the Dead and Missing Persons (MDM) from January 30 to February 3, 2023.

The training, in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Central Office, is being conducted at the Bago City Community Center.

It is aimed at enabling the participants to acquire the knowledge, skills and overall understanding of the policies and guidelines on the management of the dead and missing persons as well as bereaved families as a result of disaster.

The participants include personnel of the Philippine National Police, City Health Office, City Social Welfare and Development Office, General Services Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Bago City Hospital, DILG and Local Civil Registrar.

Some personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard’s substation in the nearby Pulupandan town are also joining the training, which is in response to Memorandum Circular No. 19 Series of 2016 of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

“The government plays a critical role in standardizing and guiding the tasks of handling dead bodies (retrieval, identification and final disposal), together with the missing persons and the bereaved families, ensuring that legal norms are followed and guaranteeing that the dignity of the deceased and their families is respected in accordance with their cultural and religious beliefs,” the memorandum stated.

The pool of resource persons include Police Lieutenant Colonel Jose Dindo Marie Herrera, chief of La Union Provincial Forensic Unit; Atty. Anne Bernadette Mendiola of the Commission on Elections – Campaign Finance Office; Deniece Krizia Ballesteros-Manding, Civil Defense Officer III of the Office of the Civil Defense Operations Center; Mary Rose Taganap and Lixter Lambinico, both of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office Disaster Response Management Bureau; and Robin Lim, Coordination Specialist IV of DILG Central Office Information Coordinating Center.

Other speakers are Butch Kevin Adovas and Ronamae Querijero, both Development Management Officer I of DILG Central Office Information Coordinating Center; Danilo Pedrajas Jr., DRR Regional Focal Person of the DILG; Michael Ray Quintana of DILG-San Rafael, Iloilo; Daniel Jade Jardiolin, Alternate DRR Regional Focal Person; and Crisanto Costelo Jr., provincial focal person of DILG-Negros Occidental.

Meanwhile, present during the opening day were Vice Mayor Ramon Torres and Councilors Jake Patrick Torres and Victor Michael Javellana.