CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Drawing from the Capampangan experience with the Mount Pinatubo eruptions and the recent earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria, Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc has filed a bill seeking to modernize the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
House Bill No. 7142 or the “PHIVOLCS Modernization Act” hopes to “improve [the agency’s] technological operational capacity, strengthen its role as the premier national volcano and earthquake monitoring agency, and to attain its vision as a center of excellence for related information services.”
Toward that end, Bondoc’s bill proposed included the acquisition and development of state-of-the-art instruments and facilities, the enhancement of research and development capabilities and improve basic operations and specialized services.
The lady legislator lamented: “Most of the budget of Phivolcs today has been for MOOE (maintenance and other operational expenses) and salaries of its employees na lang. They can no longer buy new equipment.”
She noted a “seeming discrepancy” considering that of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines, only 10 are being monitored by Phivolcs and of these 10, only two – Taal and Mayon – are provided with cutting-edge monitoring instruments.
“’Yung monitoring instruments sa Pinatubo, nabaon na raw sa patuloy na pagbaba ng lahar pag umuulan,” Bondoc said.
According to her, congressmen are seeking to allocate P5 billion to Phivolcs which will be released on a staggered scheme. This will allow the agency to purchase and maintain new early warning and monitoring devices, she added. .
As expensive and critical as they are, there is more to the modernization of Phivolcs than modern instruments and facilities, Bondoc stressed, impacting the need to invest in human capital by producing new scientists such as seismologists and meteorologists.
“Having modern equipment and facilities, and trained experts will really save us a lot of money and of course, people’s lives,” she said.
Bondoc underscored the need to certify the bill as among the top priorities in Congress: “This is something that needs to be addressed urgently and with the help of our fellow lawmakers, we are positive that this will be passed soon.” Punto News Team
