The PTC TAG-PEP team brought the RISE Program for Safe Schools (RPSS) to Bacolod City, Negros Island Region, through the RPSS Volunteer Network Establishment and Masterclass Sessions held at John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation (JBLCF) Bacolod on July 30, 2026, and at VMA Global College and Training Centers on July 31, 2026.
More than 45 members of the JBLCF Bacolod community, including first-year student leaders and volunteers, as well as teaching and non-teaching personnel, participated in the session. The participants expressed enthusiasm to become trained Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) volunteers and contribute to keeping their campus prepared and resilient in the face of hazards and disasters.
JBLCF Bacolod Unit Safety Officer Jofferson Ortega welcomed the commitment of the volunteer network members and motivated them to be more active and engaged in DRR activities of the campus. “Given the land area of JBLCF Bacolod, we’ll need all the help we can get from our campus community members and from external partners such as The PTC Group through the PTC RISE Program to help ensure the safety and lives of everyone. This partnership is not only valuable, but is highly beneficial to everyone involved. Let us work together in activating DRR activities and programs.”
An RPSS Masterclass Session on Youth Disaster Preparedness was facilitated by PTC TAG-PEP Manager Hector Brizuela, where he encouraged the first-year students to be more active and proactive in engaging themselves in DRR activities and initiatives of JBLCF Bacolod. “As Filipino youth, you possess the capacity to turn your vulnerability by harnessing your abilities and skills and use them to contribute in achieving Disaster Resilience. By participating in DRR activities such as this Masterclass Session and involving yourselves in DRR volunteering through the RPSS Volunteer Network, you already are doing more than most Filipinos.”
In VMA Global Colleges and Training Centers, more than 45 members of the Community Extension and Development Office’s KAPAWA Volunteers and the Civic Action Group for Emergency Response Services (CAGERS) attended the RPSS Volunteer Network Establishment and Masterclass Session.
VMA’s KAPAWA Volunteers are the homegrown community volunteers involved in carrying out research-based community extension initiatives for the local community and partner institutions. VMA’s CAGERS function as the search and rescue volunteer force of the 1301st Coast Guard Auxiliary Squadron, focused on disaster response operations.
VMA Global Colleges and Training Centers Safety Officer James Marasigan welcomed the PTC RISE Program and its activation of the RPSS Volunteer Network on campus. “We at VMA Global Colleges would like to thank the PTC Group and PTC RISE Program for establishing the RISE Program for Safe Schools Volunteer Network on our campus. CED-KAPAWA Volunteers and the CAGERS are more than ready to be involved in Disaster Risk Reduction activities we’ll plan, and with the support of our management, we’ll ensure that this endeavor will not only be meaningful but successful as well.”
An RPSS Masterclass Session on Simple Tools on Hazard and Risk Monitoring was delivered by PTC TAG-PEP Program Manager Hector Brizuela, adding significant DRR knowledge to the volunteer network members in terms of hazard and risk monitoring. “Given the DRR expertise of VMA Global College, evident through the CED-KAPAWA Volunteers and the CAGERS, it is highly relevant and timely that Disaster Prevention and Mitigation should also be pursued, which adds further capacity and empowerment to the institutional decision threshold. Through the simple tools I’ve introduced, hopefully our RPSS Volunteer Network members can be of service to the management in helping monitor hazards and risks that could happen within the campus and in the communities surrounding them.”
Special thanks to the JBLCF Bacolod, led by its Campus Administrator, Engr. Sylvino Tupas, with the management, for making this activity and collaboration possible.
We also extend our appreciation and gratitude to VMA Global College and Training Centers, led by its President, Capt. Niño Elson Salabas, with Executive Vice President Dr. Remedios Johanna Vargas, Career and Placement Office Head Capt. Karl Christian Orola, Community Extension and Development Office Head Chester John Ferrer, QSE Manager and CAGERS Adviser 2M Martin Dale Yogore, and Office of Student and External Affairs Head Mr. Rene III Alcala, for making this activity and partnership possible.
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