The Province of Iloilo will host the two-day Interagency Territorial Defense Operations Exercise (ITDOX) Pag-ugyon 2026 on June 16 and 17, marking the first territorial defense exercise of its kind in the Visayas region.
The exercise will be conducted in the municipalities of Miagao and San Joaquin and will involve various government agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Office of Civil Defense, the Provincial Government of Iloilo, local government units, and other stakeholders.
In a statement, Col. Leroy Daanton, deputy commander of the Army’s 301st Infantry Brigade, said the activity aims to strengthen and assess the interoperability and preparedness of civilian and military agencies in responding to emergencies and disasters.
“This exercise does not only focus on human-induced calamities such as war, it also allows us to apply our interoperability during natural disasters. Interoperability represents the collaboration between the military and civilian sectors,” Daanton said.
Retired police colonel Cornelio Salinas, head of the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, emphasized the importance of the exercise in harmonizing operational protocols among participating agencies.
“We want to test how effective our interoperability protocols are. The appropriate responses of the involved agencies will be put to the test,” Salinas said.
He noted that the initiative aligns with the provincial government’s goal of evaluating operational readiness and identifying areas that require improved coordination among agencies.
“This is the first time such an exercise is being conducted in the Visayas region. The governor’s vision is to evaluate how we approach particular situations, test the operational readiness of agencies, and identify aspects that need to be harmonized,” he added.
The exercise consists of two major components — a tabletop exercise and field training exercises.
On June 8, the tabletop exercise was conducted at the Heroes Hall of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office in Sta. Barbara town, allowing participants to discuss possible scenarios, develop strategies, and identify coordination gaps ahead of the field implementation.
The field training phase, set on June 16 and 17, will test the practical application of protocols and standard operating procedures through three major scenarios, including civilian spillover, missile attack, and coastal defense. ||
