Press Release - Cayetano bats for good alert systems in disaster preparation

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday stressed the importance of having a good system to cascade information as part of preparations for natural calamities and disasters.

Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, made this statement as he presided over the public hearing on the modernization of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and Earthquake Monitoring and Early Warning System Act.

"God forbid that the 'Big One' hits Metro Manila, and it can also hit Mindanao, Metro Cebu, or Baguio City. Not only should we consider the preparedness, but the cascading of information kasi as presented earlier, pwedeng down ang lahat ng [communication] lines," he said during the hearing on February 12, 2024.

He said this when typhoon Yolanda hit in 2013, it was revealed that there were only 30 satellite phones in the whole government network held by the military at the time.

He said this was the reason there were no updates on the ground from the first 12 to 24 hours of the typhoon in parts of Leyte and Samar.

"In the future we'd like to ask the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and local government units (LGUs), if something does happen, are we dependent on cell phones? Kapag nawalan ng signal, do we have an alternative? Nagkaroon din ng problema ang satellite phones noon (during Yolanda) sa charging," he said.

Cayetano said the Phivolcs should have these considerations vis-a-vis their modernization plans.

He also mentioned the importance of mapping public infrastructures that are on top of a fault line, while checking their lines of communication.

"I don't know if any of our train systems, skyways are built on top of a fault line. Assuming meron na ngang tremor, is there any direct information about the LRT, MRT, Skyway, or is it through media na nagmomotor din sila?" Cayetano said.

Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said the agency usually provides information first to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD), which will be the ones to cascade the information.

Bacolcol said Phivolcs also posts real-time information through its social media accounts.