MANILA, Philippines — The country’s uniformed services launched a three-day disaster response drill on Wednesday, September 30, simulating a catastrophic earthquake to evaluate their readiness for large-scale rescue and humanitarian operations.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Philippine National Police (PNP) opened Interagency Exercise (IAX) 02-2026 “Pagsasanay Sanlakas” at the PCG National Headquarters, with operations set to run through Friday, October 2.
Organized under the joint AFP-PNP-PCG Education, Training and Doctrine Cell (JAPPETDC) and hosted by the PCG’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training, the second iteration of the exercise aims to enhance operational readiness, command structure, and interoperability among the three agencies.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, PCG Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Edgar Ybañez underlined the necessity of unified disaster preparations.
“Preparedness is our strongest defense against disasters. Through exercises such as ‘Pagsasanay Sanlakas,’ we strengthen not only our individual capabilities but, more importantly, our ability to operate as one team when the lives of our people are at stake,” Ybañez said.
Given the Philippines’ location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, government security forces regularly conduct simulated drills to refine emergency procedures ahead of actual disasters.
Under the exercise scenario, units must immediately deploy resources for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), search, rescue, and retrieval (SAR) missions, emergency medical response, and population management following a major seismic event.
The program includes a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) to scrutinize strategic communication, decision-making protocols, and response plans, followed by a Field Training Exercise (FTX) designed to test practical execution during coordinated field operations.
Rear Admiral Christopher Meniado, acting commander of the PCG District National Capital Region – Central Luzon (NCR-CL), serves as the exercise director supervising the operations.
Key defense and law enforcement officials attended the opening ceremony, including JAPPETDC co-heads PNP Director for Education and Training Police Major General Bowen Joey Masauding, AFP Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training (J8) Brigadier General Glenn Joy Aynera, and PCG Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training Commodore Noemie Cayabyab.