The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) recently established a new remote broadband seismic monitoring station on the northwestern slopes of Mt. Apo in Cotabato Province. Called the Apo Volcano Ilomavis, Kidapawan City Observation Station or VAIK, this remote station is autonomous, solar-powered, and transmits real-time seismic data simultaneously via VPN (Virtual Private Network) to the General Santos Observatory (GSO), Kidapawan Seismic Station and the PHIVOLCS Main Office in Quezon City. VAIK is equipped with a state-of-the-art Kinemetrics broadband seismic sensor and digital recorder for volcano and earthquake monitoring. VAIK is the latest addition to the monitoring stations operated and administered by GSO.

Prior to the commissioning, an appeasement ritual (locally termed “pomaas”) was performed by the MADADMA (Manobo Apao Descendants Ancestral Domain of Mount Apo) Council of Elders at the premises of VAIK Monitoring Station. This is with respect to the customary laws and traditional practices of the Manobo people in Cotabato, wherein the VAIK Monitoring Station is part of the Manobo’s ancestral domain. The ritual or “pomaas”, which embodies the values, culture, and ideas of the Manobo people, involves a sacrifice of a white chicken as an offering to appease and pay respects to the spirits believed to be sacred by the Manobo people. In their beliefs, disregarding this ritual will result in punishment and chaos. Several members of the MADADMA Council of Elders were present during the ritual, headed by their chairman, Datu Damaso Bayawan.

The above improvements were made possible through the cooperation between DOSTPHIVOLCS, the local government units of Kidapawan City and Cotabato Province, and the MADADMA Council of Elders for achieving the common mission of providing timely, quality, and socially inclusive information and services for warning, disaster preparedness, and mitigation.

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Gerald Malipot, Dave Benedict Emerenciana, Allan Bernardo, Joy Ann Delos Santos, Jude Arcenas, Ricardo Seda, Milo Tabigue, Hermes Daquipa, Rudy Lacson, Jr., Melquiades Figueroa II and Ma. Antonia Bornas