A retired Army general has been designated as administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), with the rank of undersecretary.
Retired Maj. Gen. Harold Cabreros assumed the post of OCD administrator yesterday in rites presided over by Defense Secretary and NDRRMC chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Cabreros replaced OCD deputy administrator for administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, who took over as OCD officer-in-charge last month after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. designated then OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno as Bureau of Customs commissioner.
As the OCD administrator, Cabreros will also serve as executive director of the NDRRMC.
Cabreros is a former military officer. He held the post of Army vice commander before retiring from the service in 2017, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Before his designation as OCD administrator, Cabreros was the head of the OCD’s Rehabilitation and Recovery Management Service.
Cabreros previously held the post of OCD-Cagayan Valley director.
In a statement, DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said Teodoro, during the turnover ceremony, “expressed confidence in the leadership and capabilities of Undersecretary Cabreros to steer the country’s comprehensive civil defense and disaster resilience programs, in support of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.”
Andolong said the OCD is the “primary government agency mandated to implement and administer policies, strategies, and systems to reduce the country’s vulnerabilities and risks to hazards, as well as manage the consequences of disasters.”
In a social media post, the NDRRMC said: “Congratulations Usec. Harold N. Cabreros on your appointment as the new OCD Administrator and NDRRMC executive director.”
“Wishing you all the best as you lead us towards a prepared and resilient nation,” it added.
