Good morning, everyone, and welcome to “ELEMENTS IN ACTION: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Through the Lens of Emergency Medicine.” On behalf of the Department of Emergency Medicine of Ospital ng Maynila Lacson-Villegas Medical Center, we are honored to have you with us today as we come together to strengthen our preparedness, capability, and resilience in the face of disasters and emergencies. Today, we will explore the elements of disaster response—Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and the Fifth Element: people, leadership, ethics, and resilience—through the lens of Emergency Medicine. With expert lectures, panel discussions, and practical insights, we will examine everything from mass casualty incidents, fire and toxic inhalation, heat emergencies, and the Incident Command System to lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. More importantly, this course challenges us to move beyond awareness toward preparedness, and preparedness toward action. As responders, we must be ready to make decisions under pressure, work with limited resources, and care for our communities when systems are stretched to their limits. The elements may be unpredictable—but our preparation does not have to be. Let us turn knowledge into readiness, readiness into response, and response into resilience. Let us be ready. Let us act. Let us make preparedness a shared responsibility.
2 Post-Graduate Course
ELEMENTS IN ACTION
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RESPONSE THROUGH THE LENS OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
AUGUST 28, 2026 FRIDAY | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
10TH FLOOR AUDITORIUM, BAGONG OSPITAL NG MAYNILA MEDICAL CENTER
Preparedness and Response Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (Via Zoom)
-Kayoko Ishizaki, RN
MORNING SESSION
THE FIFTH ELEMENT: LEADERSHIP, ETHICS, AND MENTAL RESILIENCE IN DISASTER RESPONSE
Leadership and Ethics in Disaster Response:
Command, Coordination and Decision-Making Amid Chaos and Uncertainty
-Dr. Pauline Convocar, FPCEM
The Nurse as Frontline Leader:
Advocacy, Ethics, and Compassion in Disaster Response -Avon Lozano, RN
Mental Resillience in Disaster Response:
Sustaining Psychological Wellbeing, Preventing Burnout, and Supporting Healthcare Responders
-Dr. Mary Ann Joy Aguadera, MPH, DBDP, FPPA, FPSCAP
Application of the Incident Command System During Mass Gatherings or Planned Events - Christian Evangelista, MCDRM