Manila, Sept. 5 -- Relevant government agencies and civilian stakeholders on Friday forged a commitment to formalize and strengthen emergency preparedness at the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport in Negros Oriental.

Initiated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) here, the stakeholders compose the Aerodrome Emergency Preparedness Committee (AEPC).

In an interview, Allan Punay, local CAAP chief and airport manager, told the Philippine News Agency that before the commitment signing, the stakeholders already had initial preparatory activities, such as quarterly drills for aircraft emergencies.

"This commitment signing is just an offshoot of what we have already done, and to formalize our activities to have a disaster-resilient...