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Dr. Mahar A. Lagmay, executive director of Project NOAH, stresses the importance of technology in mitigating hazards during times of disasters during a press briefing at the Oracle Hotel in Quezon City recently. By utilizing android technology, computer applications like flood maps, weather conditions and other critical information relative to disaster management can now be easily uploaded, downloaded and disseminated even by using cellular phones from the national level down to the communities, anytime, anywhere. (Text by Rodolfo P. de Guzman / Photo by Henry A. de Leon, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII

 

One important aspect of Project NOAH is the creation of flood hazard maps where high-risk areas as well as safer grounds are identified and said information are easily accessed through computers and cellular phones for fast transmission where time is a critical factor. Photo shows Dr. Mahar A. Lagmay explaining the ongoing initiatives being done to mitigate hazards during the press briefing. (Text by Rodolfo P. de Guzman / Photo by Henry A. de Leon, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII)

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The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warns of stiff penalties for those thinking of stealing, taking, and tampering government equipment for weather monitoring, risk reduction, and disaster preparedness.

The penalties range from two to 15 years imprisonment and/or fines from P200,000 to P 3 million. Further, under R.A. 10344 or An Act Penalizing the Unauthorized Taking, Stealing, Keeping or Tampering of Government Risk Reduction and Preparedness Equipment, Accessories and Similar Facilities, the mere possession of said equipment is already prima facie evidence for prosecution and imposition of penalties.

Congressman Angelo Palmones of AGHAM Party List, principal author of the law, stressed that the penalties are bigger because the consequences of stealing the equipment are far greater than ordinary theft. “An example of this is what happened in Agno River where the cables connecting the sensors were stolen and so no warning was given to the people, resulting in damages,” said Palmones.

On the other hand, Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Phivolcs director said, “The role of the community and the people is very important and the local government units must be vigilant in helping safeguard the equipment in their areas. “

During the open forum, veteran broadcaster Mario Garcia, formerly of PTV 4, suggested that PAGASA inscribe tamper-proof and visibly identifiable labels on the equipment bearing the words “Government Property” for easy identification. By doing so, Garcia said it would be easier for the government to punish violators.

“When I was a director in SBMA in Subic, we formed the Social Fencing Group that created a network of informants in the communities who provided them information as to possible perpetrators because they are the ones who knew the residents, ” Garcia shared.

Other speakers during the public hearing were Lita Suerte Felipe, legislative liaison specialist of DOST; Dr. Vicente Malano of PAGASA; and Usec. Corazon Jimenez and Col. Gerry Ilagan of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

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The 65th ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology Meeting (ASEAN COST-65), organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), opened on May 20, 2013 at the Taal Vista Lodge in Tagaytay City to formally usher in the start of this year’s discussions on common issues in science and technology currently affecting ASEAN member nations.


ASEAN-COST Chairman for the Philippines and DOST Undersecretary for S&T Services Fortunato T. dela Pena delivered the opening remarks in behalf of DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo to welcome the 100 delegates from ASEAN member nations, including representatives from ASEAN’s dialogue partners namely the United States, Austria, Belgium, Germany, China, Japan, and India.


The Plenary Session for Sub-Committee Meetings officially kickstarted the opening day of the six-day biennial event.


The Plenary Session underscored matters and issues discussed during the 64th meeting of ASEAN COST as well as the 7th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (IAMMST -7) held in Brunei which will be the jump-off points for this year’s Sub-Committee talks.


Foremost among these was the Krabi Initiative 2010 , a program endorsed by S&T ministers during the 6th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on S&T held in December 2010 in Krabi, Thailand. The Krabi Initiative seeks to raise ASEAN’s competitiveness in the global village by leveraging the capabilities of science, technology and innovation. Specifically, the program aims to achieve its mission via identified key areas, namely ASEAN Innovation for Global Market, Digital Economy, New Media and Social Networking, Green Technology, Food Security, Energy Security, Water Management, Biodiversity for Health and Wealth, and Science and Innovation for Life.


Among the other issues raised during ASEAN COST-64 and IAMMST-7 which will provide the springboard for discussions this year are the reorganization and restructuring of COST, establishment of new funding mechanisms, and performance review of the various sub-committees.


Another point of discussion was ASEAN’s collaborations with its dialogue partners and their existing projects. Among these are the Talented Young Scientist Visiting Program and ASEAN-China Technology Transfer Center with China, and the ASEAN-US S&T Fellowship Program and ASEAN-US Award for Women in Science with US.


Plans and updates in connection with these topics will be the focal points of the nine Sub-Committee meetings anchored on the following major programme areas of ASEAN-COST: food science and technology, biotechnology, meteorology and geophysics, marine science and technology, sustainable energy research, microelectronics and information technology, material science and technology, space technology and applications, and S&T infrastructure and resources development.


Aside from the Sub-Committee Meetings, delegates to ASEAN COST-65, which will run until May 25, 2013, will also participate in other activities such as the ASEAN-EU Dialogue Meeting, ASEAN-US Consultation Meeting, and a tour of the DOST office in Taguig and the Bonifacio Global City.


Established in 1978, the ASEAN COST aims to strengthen S&T in the region by ensuring that cooperation between members on S&T initiatives remains relevant to present day challenges and supportive of the directives set by ASEAN leaders and S&T ministers.


ASEAN is composed of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

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The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) is adopting the disaster mitigating technology called InaSAFE from Indonesia.InaSAFE is an acronym for Indonesia Scenario Assessment for Emergency. It is an open source technology, which means it is free, readily accessed from the internet and may be modified by users. With this technology, data coming from weather scientists, local government units and the communities are gathered and consolidated to provide accurate information on future disaster events.

 

NOAH adopted Indonesis’s InaSAFE as it has a lot in common with the Philippines, especially in topography and natural hazards.

 

This was disclosed during the multi-stakeholder assembly titled “Enhancing Community Resilience Through the Use of New Technology” conducted by Project NOAH recently held at the Oracle Hotel in Quezon City.

 

Abigail Baca, disaster and risk management officer of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Region said that InaSAFE proved effective during the recent floods in Jakarta, Indonesia and it can be applied in the Philippines.

 

Dr. Alfredo Francisco Mahar Lagmay of Project NOAH disclosed that InaSAFE will be integrated into Project NOAH to supplement existing technologies used to mitigate, if not totally prevent, massive destruction caused by strong typhoons similar to Sendong in 2011 and Pablo in December 2012.

 

During his presentation, Dr. Lagmay said, “It is important to develop information tools that will help centralize risk information at the NOAH website and make them available to a wider community.”

 

Since its launch in July 2012 in Marikina City, Project NOAH has continuously upgraded and strengthened its capability through installation of various weather forecasting equipment in various disaster-prone areas in the country. Among these are the Hydromet water level sensors and Doppler radars used to measure amount of rainfall in a specific area.

 

To date, there are 525 Hydromet sensors installed in different river systems including those in Tullahan River, Marikina River and San Juan River in Metro Manila. Likewise, the Project NOAH team has put up billboards in Pampanga showing flood maps to inform residents of the high-risk areas in their communities.

 

Further, Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, project leader of NOAH’s DREAM LiDAR (Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation-Light Detection and Ranging) said, “ Since November 2012, we were able to do three-dimensional or 3D mapping of the Pampanga river basin, Agno River, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. By the end of May this year, 3D mapping for Iloilo will be complete and next in line is the Panay river basin.”