District social workers and direct service implementers from district offices of the City Social Welfare and Development Office underwent a three-day training on the Management of the Dead and Missing persons at Eden Nature Park.
Around 40 participants immersed themselves in the two-day lectures. A simulation exercise on the last day of the training was conducted by resource persons from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRMO).
Dr. Charina Labrador, NBI medico-legal and team leader of the Victim Identification Unit, told Madayaw that they hold training all over the region to prepare communities for any calamity.
“We teach them how to handle, how to handle dead bodies and body parts and also how to interview relatives of missing persons,” she said.
Labrador added that after the Masara incident, provinces in the Davao Region have expressed their intention to be more ready to conduct a disaster response.
CDRRMO Head Alfredo Baloran, in his speech during the event, said that he hoped social workers get equipped to handle highly emotional family members who can primarily identify their family members.
He also said that the seminar taught social workers how to handle dead bodies.
“Daghan na siya og protocols nga atong i-follow and timan-an, especially sa medico-legal na cases for the identification of the victims and the disposal of the cadavers. Bisan wala na sila’y kinabuhi dapat nato sila ipahiluna (We have many protocols that we need to follow, especially in medico-legal cases for identification of the victims and disposal of cadavers. Although they are dead, they still need to be settled well),” he said.
Baloran also challenged the participants as leaders to share their knowledge in the community they serve.
CSWDO City Población B District Head Gina A. Molon said she appreciated the training because it gave her a new point of view on the role of social workers as among responders during calamities.
“Kailangan gyud mi ma train kay dili lang man mi didto sa damages, sa financial aspect, but para sa mga mga tao nga nahibilin. Kani nga management training naa man gyud siya’y component nga mag deal with the bereaved families so dako gyud kayo nga tabang sa amoa nga nadungagan ang among kalam so nagapasalamat gyud mi sa training (We needed this training because our role as social workers is not only to assess the damages for the giving of financial aspect but also for the people who are left behind. This management training has the aspect that deals with the bereaved families, so this is a huge help for us that we have had additional learning, so we are thankful for this training),” Molon said.
CSWDO Emergency Focal Person Annabelle Lugoo said in a separate interview that the training boils down to the preservation of the dignity of the dead or missing persons in times of calamity. CIO
