THE CREATION of the Mindanao Disaster Resiliency & Resources Center (MDRRC), or will be known as the Mindanao Operations Center (MinDA OpCen), will enhance regional coordination and ensure effective emergency response.
During the Inter-Agency Convergence Focus Group Discussion on June 3, Leo Tesoro Magno, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary, emphasized MinDA OpCen is MinDA’s key initiative under the Mindanao Agenda 2023–2028.
Initially planned as a large-scale MDRRC with a cost estimate of ₱2 billion, the initiative has been refined through consultations with key national agencies.
This includes the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Magno stated that the initial plan was recalibrated after considering potential overlaps with existing infrastructure and pending agency proposals.
The MinDA OpCen will serve as a Unified Command Operations Center under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) framework for disaster response.
Apart from that, it will also serve as an economic information center, providing real-time data for strategic decision-making.
The hub will process alerts, advisories, and situational reports, ensuring that key decision-makers will receive timely, validated, and actionable information to enable swift inter-agency collaboration.
“It will be an economic information center and, at the same time, serve as an operations center (OpCen) for the President, providing a strategic command facility for Mindanao. It will enable real-time coordination, data-driven decision-making, and high-level engagements during major disasters or emergencies in the region,” Magno stated.
The MinDA OpCen will complement the NDRRMC and serve as a facility of the agency and a remote presidential office in Mindanao.
