SENTUL (23 October 2019) - The Ministry of Social Affairs is increasing Tagana's ability by giving Tagana special skills to those who have experience in disaster management. 78 Tagana personnels throughout Indonesia are trained in the framework of leveling to Middle and Main levels.

"Tagana Utama are those who have special skills and certain experiences in disaster management, both regionally and nationally," said Director General of Social Protection and Security, Harry Hikmat, in Sentul, Bogor (23/10).

Furthermore, the Director General explained that the Ministry of Social Affairs had prepared future prospects for Tagana personnel for the Main and Middle levels.

By looking at the condition of the country which is prone to disasters, this has encouraged the Ministry of Social Affairs as the most responsible part for improving the quality of social protection for victims of natural disasters, both at the national and provincial or district/city levels.

Through the ongoing disaster that occurs, to response it, the Ministry of Social Affairs does not want to continue relying on structural officials only because the government, especially in the regions, has limitations in the aspect of human resources that specifically handle disasters.

In connection with this, Harry continued, the Ministry of Social Affairs will rely on the role of people who have competencies such as Tagana, both Main and Middle level of Tagana. Both of them play an important role in handling disasters in Indonesia.

"This Main level of Tagana selection program is the first time since fifteen years Tagana was born in 2004, so that the Ministry of Social Affairs is still looking for the right format for the future, while the design is already formed," said the Director General at the opening event of the Main and Middle leveling of Tagana that took place at the Tagana Training Center, Sentul, Bogor.

It is different from the basic of social volunteerism in general, which is temporary, the Main and Middle level of Tagana are a form of the Ministry of Social's consistency in disaster management efforts that are already system-based.

This must be understood as a system, not only based on temporary social volunteerism. They have not arrived yet in the context of system-based countermeasures.

"Therefore, we need experienced people who have competency in the field. The presence of the Main Tagana becomes important on how we have to prepare for a disaster situation that is able to respond quickly. It drives the holding of the Main and Middle level of Tagana," explained the Director General.

Meanwhile, the Director of Social Protection for Natural Disasters Victims, Rachmat Koesnadi said that the Main and Middle level of Tagana have four objectives. First, it is to form Tagana which has conceptual, managerial, technical and social capabilities. Secondly, it forms Tagana which has an attitude and leadership spirit.

Then, the third objective is to form Tagana which has the ability to make decisions. And the fourth goal is the formation of Tagana who is ready to become the coordinator of disaster protection in the field of social protection.

Various hopes appear after joining Tagana's selection so that they can become motivators for other Tagana personnels.

"We are expected to be a motivator for our Tagana friends who are still at the Middle Level of Tagana without being separated from the main activity as volunteers for disaster preparedness", said Main Level of Tagana candidate from North Sulawesi, Reisja Tidajoh.

In addition, Reisja also hopes that what was designed in the implementation of the Tagana leveling can be realized in the future for Tagana itself.

While Main Level of Tagana from West Java, Dadang Wahidin, expressed his hopes after he was trained as a Main Tagana. "I have been working as a personnel of Tagana since 2006, through this leveling, I want to increase my capacity, so that I can be even more useful in terms of disaster management in Indonesia," he said.