TACLOBAN CITY — Nearly 1,000 emergency responders from across Eastern Visayas will gather in Ormoc City next week for the region’s largest rescue training event, but this year’s Regional Rescue Jamboree (RRJ) will break new ground by putting persons with disabilities at the center of disaster response.

For the first time in the country, the weeklong rescue exercise will formally incorporate Disability-Inclusive Search and Rescue (DiSAR), an initiative that aims to ensure emergency operations not only save lives but also protect the dignity, mobility, and long-term well-being of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Dr. Raymund Balverde, founder and overall lead of DiSAR and a past president of the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine, said the initiative marks a significant shift in how rescue operations are conducted in the Philippines.

“This will ensure that life-saving efforts go beyond survival to include the preservation of function, dignity, and long-term well-being of persons with disabilities and other at-risk groups,” Balverde said.

“This innovation signals a major advancement in inclusive disaster preparedness and response in the Philippines.”

Scheduled from 17 to 23 July in Ormoc City, the Regional Rescue Jamboree will bring together 62 rescue teams, each composed of 15 members, representing nearly 1,000 emergency responders from across Eastern Visayas.

The annual event traditionally features specialized rescue disciplines, including Water Search and Rescue, Mountain Search and Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, Vehicle Extrication and AGOS, with participants from the Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, and local disaster risk reduction and management offices.

This year, however, the addition of DiSAR expands the scope of disaster response by integrating the principles of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into rescue operations.

Balverde said physiatrists and rehabilitation professionals bring expertise that has long been overlooked in emergency response, including functional assessment, safe patient handling, transfers, positioning, mobility assistance, use of assistive devices, prevention of secondary disabilities and early rehabilitation.