In remembrance of the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA-Manila) held an interactive press conference on March 7, 2013 at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium.

The press conference highlighted the midterm accomplishments and sharing of information that all resulted from the close collaboration between the Philippine and Japanese experts working under the JICA-JST Project entitled “Enhancement of the Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring and Effective Utilization of Disaster Mitigation Information in the Philippines.”

 Two new feature stories in manga or comics of the Filipino eyewitnesses’ accounts on the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami was launched.

PHIVOLCS Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr. and Mr. Takahiro Sasaki of JICA Philippines together unveiled and introduced the two comics entitled “Ang Huling Sayonara (Ang Huling Paalam)” and “Daang Mapanganib”  to the event’s participants comprised of different tri-media outfits, JICA officers and PHIVOLCS personnel.

Attachments:

Daan Mapanganib: Story of Imelda Suzuki	[Comics]	1675 Kb
Ang Huling Sayonara: Story of Lorna Kikuta	[Comics]	1665 Kb

PHIVOLCS conducted a REDAS training for the province of Tarlac from January 27 to February 1, 2013 at City Travel Hotel, Baguio City. There were  52 participants from 14 towns. A total of 33 license keyswere issued. The participants were taught seismic hazard assessment, development of relational database system using SQlite and Spatialite, use of Quantum GIS and the use of the exposure database module (EDM).  The participants were taught how to display their hazard maps and use GPS and maps for risk mapping.  At the end of the training, the participants signed a Memorandum of Undertaking which gave their commitment to use REDAS to develop their exposure database and to mainstream disaster risk reduction into the local development planning process.

As the two pilot barangays of the Establishment of a Cost-Effective Local Tsunami Early Warning System for Selected High-Risk Coastal Communities of the Philippines (TeWS) project for Batangas City, Mabacong and Sta. Rita Aplaya went through capacity building on community-based tsunami early warning system on Feb 21-22, 2013.

The TeWS project is identified with objectives that include a) to develop, fabricate and install GSM-activated warning sirens in high-risk coastal communities; and 2) to train and educate stakeholders on how to use the early warning system and how to respond properly during tsunami emergencies.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS, in collaboration with the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) through the TeWS project, trained the two barangays’representatives and staff from the local government and agencies of Batangas City and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) in tsunami awareness and preparedness at the CDRRMC Operations Center.

Simultaneously, the instrumentation team from PHIVOLCS and ASTI installed two tsunami warning sirens in Sta. Rita Aplaya, one in Mabacong and also one in front of the CDRRMC Center.

During the two-day capacity building, PHIVOLCS lectured on earthquake, tsunami and their hazards, and facilitated workshops on Basic Map Reading, Preparing the Barangay Spot Map and Barangay Tsunami Evacuation Map and a Focus Group discussion on how the community can prepare for tsunami and disseminate the information effectively to neighboring tsunami-prone areas.

Joan Salcedo of PHIVOLCS explained that in order to develop a tsunami-prepared community, people should increase their awareness on basic tsunami information and generate tsunami hazard and risk mapping, tsunami evacuation planning, and establish a tsunami warning system and tsunami mitigation measures which will depend on the means and capability of the community.

The participants then presented the outputs on the Barangay Spot Map and Evacuation Map, and proposed actions to mainstream evacuation information and enhance communication system for the two model barangays.

Office of Civil Defense Region IV-A Director Vicente Tomazar also graced the event, extending his appreciation for the active involvement of the participants.