OTON, ILOILO — Nearly 300 emergency responders, healthcare workers, disaster experts, and volunteers converged in Barangay Pakiad on September 9 to simulate a high-risk chemical hazard and mass-casualty road crash, marking one of Western Visayas’ largest multi-sectoral disaster exercises to date.
The drill, dubbed PROJECT MedX: Western Visayas Emergency Medical Simulation Exercise, was spearheaded by A-PAD Philippines in partnership with the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the local government of Oton, the UP Resilience Institute, and UP Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health (DRRM-H). The exercise aimed to stress-test local protocols, public-private inter-agency communication, and Incident Command System (ICS) structures under high-pressure conditions.
“One thing that struck us is the openness of the LGU—they have the mindset that this simulation exercise is not about perfection,” said Athea Peñaloza, Executive Director of A-PAD Philippines, during her opening remarks. “We are not here to boast that we are perfect in response. Rather, we are here to understand and learn how we can complement each other during emergencies.”
Key dignitaries present included Taro Hirokawa of A-PAD Japan; Hon. Sofronio L. Fusin Jr., Mayor of the Municipality of Oton; PCol Cornelio R. Salinas (Ret), Head of the Iloilo PDRRMO; Raul E. Fernandez, Regional Director of the Office of Civil Defense VI; Malvin R. Nad, Head of the Oton Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) and Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, Head, UP Manila DRRM-H & Director of Institution Building Division, UP Resilience Institute.
During the exercise, teams performed scene safety, search and extrication, chemical risk management, triage, and emergency medical response. A dedicated Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) component required responders to identify chemical risks, establish safety perimeters, and treat contaminated patients while protecting emergency personnel and nearby communities.
“We focus on three priorities: preparing our communities, ensuring fast emergency response, and driving rehabilitation so communities can recover,” noted Oton Mayor Sofronio L. Fusin Jr.
To simulate a realistic surge on local health facilities, 40 community members—including youth volunteers and barangay health workers—acted as casualties requiring rapid assessment, treatment and transport. Patient briefings and field evaluations were led by Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran, alongside observers and evaluators from UP Manila DRRM-H, the UP Resilience Institute, and other participating partner organizations and stakeholders.
Simulated patients were transported from the incident site to designated receiving hospitals, including Western Visayas Medical Center, The Medical City Iloilo, and St. Paul’s Hospital of Iloilo, Inc. The hospital component extended the exercise beyond field response, testing coordination among emergency teams and health facilities, including patient referral, transport, handover and receiving procedures during a mass-casualty incident.
“In a medical emergency, every second counts. We need medical teams that can quickly triage patients, manage available resources, and determine who should be prioritized for transport,” Dr. Gundran said. “This is why the medical component must be integrated into our drills. We need to keep doing these exercises—it is better to identify our mistakes here, where we can learn and improve, than during a real emergency when lives are at stake.”
Following an earlier earthquake simulation in San Fernando City, Pampanga, this Western Visayas deployment tested PROJECT MedX’s framework against complex chemical and transit hazards. Ahead of the exercise, participating public, private, academic, and civil society partners completed joint preparatory sessions to align protocols and clarify operational roles.
“The simulation tests our systems and identifies areas where we can improve,” emphasized PCol Cornelio R. Salinas (Ret.). “Beyond the exercise, we are reminded of the people we serve. They rely on us to work together and provide immediate help.”
Lessons and operational gaps identified during the drill will be used to refine regional response protocols, stream inter-agency communication, and elevate emergency readiness across Western Visayas.
PROJECT MedX (Medical Emergency Simulation Exercise) is A-PAD Philippines’ flagship disaster preparedness initiative designed to unify government units, health facilities, response teams, academe, and civil society in building resilient local communities.
The participating organizations and partners included the Municipality of Oton MDRRMO, PDRRMO–Iloilo Province, PHO–Iloilo Province, Iloilo HMO, Office of Civil Defense VI, Oton National High School, The Medical City Iloilo, St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo, Healthway Hospital by Qualimed, West Visayas State University Medical Center, Western Visayas Medical Center, Metrol Iloilo Hospital and Medical Center, One Network Philippine Initiatives, Ugyon Youth Organization, Inc., University of the Philippines Visayas, UP Resilience Institute, UP Manila DRRM-H, Unconnected.org, PCCI–Iloilo, Iloilo Science and Technology University, Iloilo Citizens Action Group–Volunteer Fire Brigade, Iloilo Bureau of Fire Protection, USAR–Iloilo City DRRMO, Tigbauan DRRMO, Tubungan DRRMO, Igbaras DRRMO, Pavia DRRMO, San Joaquin DRRMO, Miagao DRRMO, Guimbal DRRMO, Philippine Military Academy, Philippine Information Agency VI, which served as the venue, and the Iloilo Province Press Corps.