PRIORITIZE ESTABLISHMENT OF DISASTER SCIENCE CENTER - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that the establishment of the Disaster Science Management Center (DSMC) should be a national priority in order to better prepare the nation for the dealing with disasters, like the devastating earthquake that recently hit Japan.

Angara, Chair of the Congressional Commission on Science Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), noted that the DSMC is envisioned to become a regional hub for disaster science where our scientists can help prepare officials and LGU's to handle natural calamities.

"We need the DSMC to help us prepare for the earthquakes and similar disasters that will continue to threaten the country. The government needs to be able to understand how to develop an advanced and real-time information dissemination strategy so people can better prepare to handle such events," noted Angara.

The DSMC recently held a series of lectures tapping local and international scientists to lecture on a wide range of topics like the study of climate change on disaster science, and the use of complexity science in disaster management and prevention. The series marked the launching of the DSMC.

The DSMC is set to become a training center that will focus on scenario-type learning utilizing technology for disaster mitigation and management. Taiwan and Japan are already actively cooperating with training of local experts for situations like floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

The DSMC is set to be a public-private initiative that the scientific community can use to better understand the mechanics of managing disasters with the cooperation of neighboring countries that have experienced similar storms and natural calamities as the Philippines.

Angara noted that the DSMC will utilize tools like satellite imagery, remote sensing, and complexity science to help prepare the country for disasters.

Angara said that, "we need to adopt a pro-active approach in order to properly address this problem. A scientific approach supported by extensive research has already led me to appropriate PHP 100M from the budget for the establishment of a Philippine Disaster Science Center, roughly PHP40M of which is allocated for a proposed Disaster Science Management Center."