ILOILO City – To ensure swift emergency assistance during the three-day 49th Meeting of the High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) here which begins today, February 25, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has placed its Regional Emergency Operations Center on alert and deployed a Quick Response Team (QRT).
Personnel have been assigned to strategic holding areas to guarantee immediate intervention should emergencies arise.
The 49th Meeting of the HLTF-EI is a major international gathering of senior economic officials and ministers from across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region. It serves as a platform for critical discussions on regional economic collaboration and integration.
ASEAN economic integration means making Southeast Asia operate more like one connected market instead of 10 separate economies (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia).
Yesterday, DSWD Region 6 had an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) briefing and send-off ceremony for selected members of the Iloilo QRT, led by Regional Director Joselito Estember.
Estember reminded deployed personnel to strictly observe DSWD standards on disaster response augmentation, particularly during high-profile international events.
Senior ASEAN economic officials are meeting here until February 27 to deliberate on policies that advance the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) goals, focusing on regional integration and trade facilitation.
This is the first of three ASEAN-related meetings scheduled for Iloilo City this 2026, with others following in April and May.
DSWD-6 Regional Emergency Operations Center has been elevated to red alert status to heighten operational readiness.
As part of its preparedness measures, the agency — serving as a member of the Task Unit on Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) — was activated to ensure seamless response operations in case of emergencies.
Anchored on the agency’s Buong Bansa Framework, DSWD-6 emphasized the implementation of Camp Coordination and Camp Management protocols, with relief assistance on standby to demonstrate full disaster preparedness in assigned areas.
DSWD-6 assured the public it remains on heightened alert and continues to closely monitor the situation on the ground, ready to provide assistance whenever necessary.
ASEAN a regional organization formed to promote political stability, economic growth, and regional cooperation among Southeast Asian countries. Current member-states are 10./PN
