Pangasinan: The provincial government of Pangasinan is set to sign memorandums of agreement (MOAs) with 10 private companies and national government agencies for its mass casualty incident response operations. In an interview on Monday, Vincent Chiu, operations chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the agreements aim to ensure a sufficient supply of basic commodities in the event of a mass-casualty incident.

According to Philippines News Agency, these partnerships will provide additional resources during shortages in a mass casualty incident to facilitate faster response and priority support for the province. Chiu noted that private entities would also assist in information dissemination and that partners include gasoline stations, grocery stores, and other service providers, along with the National Food Authority and other government agencies.

The agreement will be activated once the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) declares a mass casualty incident during a state of calamity due to disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or flooding. Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino mentioned that seven of the ten resolutions authorizing Governor Ramon Guico III to sign the MOAs have been approved by the Provincial Board, while three await modifications.

Lambino emphasized that the initiative is a precautionary measure to ensure continuous service delivery to residents, including first-response services and essential needs like transport, communication, food, and water. The initiative also includes establishing a line of credit to facilitate transactions during emergencies when standard payment processes may be disrupted.