Among the major functions of APSEMO in relation to DRR are the following:

1. Serves as the technical arm and secretariat of the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
   
   1. Advices the PDRRMC Chairman on matters concerning disaster prevention and control and make such recommendations as maybe deemed appropriate or as maybe required by the chairman.
   2. Conduct continuous and provincewide hazard/disaster monitoring.
   3. Mobilize support from various PDRRMC members and other agencies, LGUs, CSOs, private groups and volunteers, to utilize available resources for the protection and preservation of life and properties during emergencies in accordance with existing policies and procedures.
   4. Maintain active coordination and communication linkage between and among the LGUs, government organizations, non-government organizations to ensure timely and appropriate action relating to public safety, disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
   5. Implement laws, policies, plans, programs, rules and regulations pertaining to disaster preparedness, control, rehabilitation, mitigation and reconstruction.
2. Provide technical support to the 18 local disaster risk reduction and management offices and 720 barangays in Albay on aspects relating to DRR to include:
   1. Furnish guidance to all city/municipal DRRM Council Chairs/local chief executives in the preparation local DRR and contingency plans.
   2. Risk assessment – hazard and vulnerability assessment.
   3. Organize and conduct training, orientation, and knowledge management.
   4. Take all necessary steps on a continuing basis to maintain, provide, or arrange the provision of suitably trained and competent personnel to implement DRR in Albay.
   5. Organize, train, equip and supervise the local emergency response teams/humanitarian aid workers on various skills to assist displaced and affected population.
3. Plan, organize, coordinate and implement provincewide disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.
   1. Establish linkage/network with other LGUs for disaster risk reduction and emergency response purposes;
   2. Land Banking
4. Formulate and implement policies and procedures relating to DRR before, during and after disaster.
5. Establish provincewide early warning system criteria on various hazards.
   1. Operate a multi-hazard early warning system.
   2. Provide accurate and timely advice to national or local emergency response organizations and to the general public, through quad media.
6. Prepare, formulate and recommend legislations relating to all aspects of DRR.
7. Prepare, formulate and recommend allocation and proposed programming/utilization of the local disaster risk reduction and management fund and submit the same to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Albay through the PDRRMC and Provincial Development Council.
8. Recommend to the PDRRMC Chairman the declaration of state of calamity.
9. Provide public information and awareness on various hazards, disaster occurrences and threat.
   1. Release advisories and warning information on impending and current threats that may affect Albay.
   2. Conduct public information and awareness on vulnerabilities, existing hazards – its nature and effects.
   3. Establish hazard warning and information early warning signs and counter-measures.
10. Coordinate and provide logistic and manpower support during humanitarian response.
    1. Distribute relief services to affected population: food, shelter and medical supplies, etc. to ensure that needs of internally-displaced individuals are addressed [women, children, PWD’s, lactating mothers among others].
    2. Ensure delivery of camp management and health services – water and sanitation, psychosocial care.
    3. Establish emergency communication and information system.
    4. Provide transport and logistic support to LGU’s.
    5. Provide emergency shelter and cash assistance affected population.
    6. Provide engineering support, equipment and supplies to LGUs.
    7. Conduct emergency medical search rescue.
    8. Respond to and manage the adverse effects of emergencies and carry out early recovery activities in affected area[s], ensuring efficient mechanism for immediate delivery of essential services.
11. Plan, organize and conduct recovery plan [reconstruction and rehabilitation] post disaster in affected areas.
    1. Facilitate economic stimulus program to affected sector suc as but not limited to emergency rehabilitation support to agriculture and livestock sector affected by affected calamities and disease outbreak through farms inputs or cash assistance.
    2. Emergency rehabilitation support to social, economic and infrastructure sectors post disasters and epidemic.
12. Consolidate, release, submit official reports relating to disaster response, recovery, fiscal disbursements and related activities of APSEMO and PDRRMC to concerned agencies to include but not limited to:
    1. LDRRMF utilization.
    2. Disaster response and other incidents.
    3. Recovery plan post disaster.
    4. d. Activity reports.

The disaster management program of Albay started in 1989 when the Italian funded project facilitated the conception of hazard and vulnerability data of all its 720 barangays establishing the province’s hazard and resource maps, a first of its kind in the country. After the Italian project, reflections were made to institutionalize in full capacity with organization, personnel and financing an office that will take the lead in establishing and implementing the full spectrum of disaster management program in Albay. This led for Cedric D. Daep, PhD. to propose to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Albay the creation of the Provincial Disaster Management Office [PDMO] in 1994 that was consequently approved and elevating into a full department in 1995, making Dr. Daep its first and current department head.

The creation of PDMO was another first in the Philippines and in South East Asia that set in motion the various programs, projects and strategies that were vital in achieving the goals and objectives of PDMO particularly in attaining zero-casualty which was first coined in 1994 post Typhoon Rosing. The PDMO was organized into four divisions: Plans and Operations, Research Division, Training and Information Division and the Emergency Medical Services Division. The institutionalization of PDMO ensured the sustainability/continuity of services, technical procedures on all aspects of disaster risk reduction. This made Albay to be cited by the Asian Disaster Management Center based in Bangkok, Thailand as the “Best Model on Disaster Management in Asia and even in the world” as proudly expressed by Harry Jayasinghat APDC Programme Coordinator during the Disaster Management Seminar in Cebu City on April 20, 1994.

The inception of PDMO shaped innovative programs that were considered novel at that time and lay the foundation for the continued success of Albay in reducing disaster risks not only for natural hazards but to biologic, man-made and technological risks as well. Along with the creation of PDMO was the establishment of the Albay Provincial Disaster Operations Center [PDOC] that was another milestone in the Philippine disaster management history. It is the first fully functional disaster operation center for a local government unit in the country complete with the critical amenities for the center to function that includes: conference room, radio-communication room, sleeping quarters, storage and logistic distribution facility, parking/staging area, printing and reproduction room. The PDOC also hosted the Provincial Social Welfare and the Provincial Health Offices, both are front line offices during disaster response.

Because of the changing needs of time, Governor Al Francis C. Bichara saw the need to expand the role of PDMO, and through another resolution by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Albay, the nomenclature of PDMO was transformed to what is now the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office [APSEMO]. This consequently led to the formulation of the Provincial Traffic Safety Code of Albay in collaboration with concerned agencies; the traffic code was passed into ordinance by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Albay and is currently being implemented by APSEMO.

Albay’s effectiveness in DRR and accomplishments on human security pioneered to shift from an all-response approach to a pro-active stance that focused on disaster preparedness and mitigation.  These incudes policies and procedures that led to significant accomplishments such as the zero-casualty formula [early warning system, communication protocol and evacuation procedure], evacuation levels [preemptive; forced, voluntary evacuation], relocation of exposed population, land banking, integration of DRR on the province’s overall development program particularly those vulnerable to impacts of disaster.

These achievements were recognized not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well and led to the passage of Republic Act 10121 whose framework and numerous provisions were based on Albay’s [APSEMO] experience; institutionalizing DRR across all levels and sectors of the society. RA 10121 was a significant paradigm shift that strengthened the capabilities of LGU’s in preparing for, responding to and recovering from disaster impacts.

Because of the pioneering efforts of APSEMO and the numerous innovations, APSEMO provided technical support to other local government units, academe, non-government organizations in establishing their respective disaster risk reduction program and the formulation of their disaster preparedness, response and recovery plans. APSEMO was also tasked by the Office of Civil Defense [OCD] to serve as one of its national training center on DRR as mandated  by RA 10121.