The Department of Health (DOH) through the Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Republic of Korea through the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) conducted comprehensive simulation exercises with the local government unit (LGU) of Valenzuela City last 25 March 2024. The aim of this initiative is to demonstrate the translation, implementation, and operationalization of national strategies to safeguard public health and mitigate risks posed by any emerging and re-emerging disease. The exercise focused on a suspect case in Sitio Kaunlaran of Valenzuela. Aspects such as sample collection, case contact tracing and the referral of patients were covered.In a message delivered by Health Emergencies Team Lead Dr Yui Sekitani, WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr Rui Paulo de Jesus expressed his support for improving emergency preparedness and response in the Philippines. “While it is the first, we hope that this is not the last as we hope to support more functional field simulation exercises at all levels to complement the evaluation of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management activities. We hope that we can expand to full-scale field exercises that would tap into multi-sectoral approaches,” he said.The exercise focused on a suspect case in Sitio Kaunlaran of Valenzuela. Aspects such as sample collection, case contact tracing and the referral of patients were covered.“We are pleased to have contributed to enhancing the Philippines' public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities by participating in this year's local government exercises, following the national-level exercises last September. The KDCA will continue to collaborate with the Philippines and the WHO against next pandemic threats in the Western Pacific Region,” said Dr Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the KDCA.After the exercise, a debriefing was carried out at which participants shared their experiences, lessons learnt and recommendations. Stakeholders exchanged observations and made comments and suggestions to improve the contingency plan, including the communication and coordination system. The collaboration between DOH, WHO, and KDCA aims to enhance the One Health Agenda in the Philippines which focuses on coordinated strategies, mechanisms, and joint public health emergency preparedness and response. It serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge and information on disaster risk reduction, health management, and biosecurity, as well as an efficient and effective conduct of drills and exercises.