ILOILO CITY, Dec. 5 -- Local government units (LGUs) and stakeholders in Western Visayas are encouraged to conduct collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) training in preparation for the big one.

Civil Defense Western Visayas Regional Director Raul Fernandez, in an interview on Thursday afternoon, said it is important for the region to be ready because it was identified as one of the "assisting regions" for the National Capital Region in case of a strong earthquake.

"The primary skill needed is the collapsed structure search operations, our urban search and rescue teams. Right now, we lack that capability," he said.

During the fourth quarter meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) on Tuesday...