ILOILO City – In a significant move to strengthen local disaster resilience, the Iloilo City Government has received 24 sets of earthquake early warning devices (EWDs) from the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) of Taiwan.
A Deed of Donation was officially signed during a ceremonial turnover held at Iloilo City Hall yesterday, June 10. Signing on behalf of the NCDR was its director, Dr. Hongey Chen. He was accompanied by Dr. Wei Sen Li, Dr. Wen Jui Su, and Ms. Yuhua Chen.
Donna P. Magno, the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, stood as witness for the city government, along Mayor Jerry Treñas who led the city’s delegation in the turnover.
The EWDs, designed to detect earthquake P-waves and record real-time rainfall data, are expected to enhance the city’s ability to issue timely alerts, giving a critical 4- to 5-second lead time before actual tremors occur. This window, though brief, can be life-saving, especially in densely populated urban areas.
“It gives the decision-maker actual data so that we can make proper warnings, so that we know how to handle [heavy rains],” said Mayor Treñas.
The said devices will be installed across strategic locations including barangays, schools, business establishments, and government facilities. These tools are part of the broader P-alert system, which enables automated alerts for seismic activity, improving preparedness and risk mitigation at the grassroots level.
The event also gathered stakeholders from the resilience sector, including retired Vice Admiral Alexander Pama of the National Resilience Council (NRC) and ARISE Philippines, NRC Resilience Fellow Prof. Jessica Dator-Bercilla, and representatives from the Manila Observatory.
Iloilo City’s relationship with the NRC and NCDR dates back to 2017, when it was selected as one of the pilot local government units under the NRC’s Resilient LGUs Program. In 2019, the city formalized its partnership with the NRC, Manila Observatory, and NCDR through a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at enhancing regional resilience against natural hazards.
Since then, NCDR has donated a total of 26 EWDs to the city, 24 of which remain in place. These include both rain gauges and seismic sensors. The data gathered by the devices feeds directly into the Iloilo City Operations Center, enabling the local government to make timely and informed decisions during emergencies./PN
