PARTIDO REFORMA senatorial candidate Guillermo Eleazar vowed to push for the improvement of the country's emergency communication systems to minimize casualties and damage in times of calamities.
In a statement Wednesday, Eleazar said being a police officer for over three decades, he admitted that one of the primary challenges during disaster response operations is the lack of effective communication system at the barangay level.
“Naranasan kong rumesponde sa mga biktima ng mga kalamidad at mapapatunayan ko na napakahirap ng operasyon kapag walang magandang komunikasyon sa mga opisyal ng barangay. Hindi naman tama na magbibilang na lang tayo lagi ng namamatay tuwing may kalamidad. Maraming masasagip na buhay sa tamang paghahanda (I have experienced responding during times of calamities and I have proven firsthand how hard it is to conduct relief operations without good communications with barangay officials. It is not right that we will just count the number of casualties every time there is a calamity)," he added.
Eleazar suggested that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) should be given a bigger budget to enhance the Emergency Communication System of the local disaster risk reduction management offices.
He said that the local DRRMOs in every barangay, particularly those located in disaster-prone areas, should have a satellite phone which they can use to contact the NDRRMC when a calamity strikes.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), around 20 storms enter the country every year.
Experts believe that due to the effects of climate change, typhoons are also becoming stronger and more destructive through the years.
The Philippines is also located in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region in the Pacific Ocean where many of the Earth’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. ( Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)
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