Local Civil Defense Organizations.
Section 3
SEC. 3. Local Civil Defense Organizations.— The organization, functions and responsibilities of provincial, city and municipal civil defense organizations shall conform Q the following general policies and standards: The various tasks, functions and responsibilities of civil defense shall be assigned to appropriate existing offices, agencies, instrumentalities, officials and employees of the various provincial, city or municipal governments. Existing facilities and resources of these governments shall be utilized to the maximum in their respective civil defense organizations and activities. The financial costs of local civil defense within each province, city and municipality shall be borne by the provincial, city or municipal governments, concerned: Provided, That if the resources of the province, city or municipality concerned are not sufficient to bear said costs, the National shall provide the necessary subsidy. The provincial governor of each province shall be responsible for the direction, supervision and coordination of civil defense planning, operations and activities within his province, except in chartered cities. For this purpose, he shall be designated as the Provincial Civil Defense Director. The basic operating units for civil defense shall be the municipalities and cities. Each municipality and chartered city shall organize and maintain its own local civil defense organization, with the municipal or city mayor as the Municipal Civil Defense Director of his particular municipality or city. The Municipal Civil Defense Director, under the direction and supervision of the Provincial Civil Defense Director in the case of municipalities, shall be responsible for— establishing and administering the municipal or city civil defense organization; coordinating and directing the local civil defense operations and activities of public and private agencies or groups within the locality; formulating and negotiating mutual aid plans and agreements with neighboring municipalities and with the province in which it is located; directing the development of civil defense plans and programs in accordance with plans and policies established by national and provincial civil defense organizations. The Administrator shall, upon recommendation o the Council, prescribe such rules and regulations from time to time to public or private firms, associations, cor panies, corporations, institutions, establishments or ganized groups of persons to the preparation of their own plans, and to organize their respective staffs, personnel facilities, for civil defense. In the event of war directly involving the Philippines or other national emergency of equally grave character such entities or groups shall institute and maintain at all times guard systems, safety programs, warning systems, personnel shelters, fire-fighting facilities and procedures, emergency medical facilities, blackout techniques and procedures, exit and ntry control, and other protective measures for their respective establishments, personnel, inmates or patrons. Each Municipal Civil Defense Director shall organize groups of individuals and families living in one neighborhood within his municipality or city into Civil Defense Units. Each Civil Defense Unit shall be under a leader who shall be responsible for the organization and training of individual members in fire-fighting and first-aid techniques, guard duty, blackout control, and other phases of concerted self-protection relating to civil defense. The Municipal Civil Defense Director shall direct and coordinate the civil defense functions and activities of all Civil Defense Units within his municipality or city. In cities and towns of over 100,000 population, civil defense drills shall be held at least once every three months.