THE National Government has been developing and deploying new technologies aimed at preserving lives in times of calamities, a decade following a violent typhoon that claimed the lives of over 6,000 Filipinos and caused extensive destruction to infrastructure in central Philippines.
“We are also putting in place more centralized and efficient early warning systems, incident command systems, and disaster response strategies,” said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
The President was at the Tacloban City Convention Center in Leyte to lead the commemoration of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which wrecked havoc mostly in the Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013.
“The development and deployment of new technologies, such as GeoRiskPH and PlanSmart, along with the continuous conduct of information and education campaigns [and] simulation drills are also aimed to save lives,” Marcos said.
GeoRiskPH is a multi-agency initiative led by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). It is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and monitored by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development from 2018 to 2020. It has been institutionalized in DOST-Phivolcs since 2021.
Launched on Sept. 14, 2022, the PlanSmart Ready to Rebuild web app is an automated planning tool envisioned to revolutionize the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management planning processes in the country by helping the Government, especially the local government units, to more efficiently plan for disasters, work smarter, and rebuild forward faster, according to the Phivolcs.
The President said the response of the Filipinos following the typhoon’s devastation is a testament of their resiliency and unity. He also expressed deep gratitude to non-government organizations and the international community who helped the Philippines, particularly Tacloban, to recover.