ILOILO City — More than 1,200 participants, including government responders, military personnel, evacuees, and role players acting as terrorists, will take part in the first-ever Inter-Agency Territorial Defense Operations Exercise (ITDOEx) in the Visayas on June 16 and 17, prompting authorities to urge the public not to panic over the heightened presence of emergency and security forces in southern Iloilo.
The large-scale exercise, dubbed “Pag-ugyon 2026,” will be conducted in the municipalities of Miag-ao and San Joaquin as part of efforts to test the province’s readiness to respond to territorial defense-related emergencies and possible civilian spillover scenarios.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), Joint Task Force “Spear” of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), local government units, and various government agencies will spearhead the two-day activity.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Cornelio Salinas appealed for public understanding and cooperation, especially among residents of barangays Sapa, Kirayan Norte, and Igtuba in Miag-ao, and barangays Igcondao and Cata-an in San Joaquin, where the exercises will be staged.
“We do not want nga may public uproar, may traffic congestion, public disturbances. So, kinahanglan may mga layers of protection kami para wala sang public uproar, wala sang ma-jeopardize, wala sang ma-compromise nga daily activities,” Salinas said during a press conference on June 10.
He stressed that the exercises are purely part of preparedness and capability-building efforts and should not be mistaken for an actual security threat.
The drill will feature three scenarios designed to evaluate the provincial government’s capability to respond to a territorial defense situation that could affect Panay Island.
The exercise will assess the effectiveness of the Provincial Community Defense Action, Emergency Operations Center, Incident Management Teams, response clusters, and partner agencies in handling large-scale displacement, humanitarian assistance, public safety concerns, medical emergencies, logistics support, and inter-agency coordination.
On the morning of June 16, authorities will conduct a civilian spillover management exercise in barangays Sapa and Kirayan Norte in Miag-ao, simulating the evacuation of civilians from an area affected by conflict or territorial tensions.
The scenario will test the response of social welfare, health, and military agencies in managing displaced populations and ensuring public safety.
A missile attack response simulation will follow in the afternoon in Barangay Igtuba, Miag-ao.
On June 17, the AFP will lead simulated coastal defense and anti-infiltration operations in barangays Igcondao and Cata-an in San Joaquin.
“The Iloilo provincial government may ara Executive Order 111 or the Provincial Community Defense Action Cluster. The drill will test the whole-of-province approach in addressing human-induced calamities,” Salinas said.
He added that the exercise also aims to determine how effectively government agencies work together during crisis situations.
“We want to establish how good or bad our interagency interoperability protocols are, the appropriate responses within the involved agencies,” Salinas said.
Following the exercise, participants and evaluators from agencies such as the Office of Civil Defense will conduct an after-action review to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
Meanwhile, Colonel Leroy Daanton, deputy brigade commander of the Philippine Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade, said actual military and naval assets will be deployed during the exercise, although safety measures will be strictly enforced to protect the public.
The conduct of ITDOEx is in line with Executive Order No. 111, Series of 2025, issued by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., institutionalizing the Provincial Community Defense Action under the province’s peace, order, and resilience framework./PN
