MANILA, Philippines — Over 70 rescue teams from across the country braved the storm on Saturday in what turned out to be an on the job training rather than a drill.
As Tropical Storm “Crising” and the southwest monsoon dumped rain in Metro Manila, the participants held the Rescue March Challenge — a grueling simulation and endurance event that began at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) command post in Pasig City, continued through C5–Katipunan, and concluded at the University of the Philippines Diliman, replicating real-life response routes in large-scale disaster scenarios.
The challenge, called the “Mass Assembly for Rescue and Care for Humanity,” is designed to test mass deployment, coordination, and endurance of response teams under extreme weather conditions — simulating how responders operate during real emergencies.
“First and foremost, the Rescue March is more than just an endurance event,” said Gabriel Go of Special Operations, speaking to The Manila Times. “Rain or shine, it showcases the preparedness in times of disaster; moreover, it is about the resilience of rescuers in real-world rescue scenarios.”
“It also shows the strong unity of rescuers in the call of emergency in saving lives,” Go added.
