The Filipino-made USHER or the Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording technology which seeks to prevent adverse effects of earthquakes in infrastructures has been turned over to the cities of Cabuyao and San Pedro in Laguna.
The ceremonial turnover of USHER to the local government units (LGUs) was held Wednesday, Nov. 24, during the third leg of the annual National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) celebration. It was led by DOST-Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon).
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the USHER was born to help address the threats of destructive earthquakes in buildings, bridges, and other infrastructures.
“In order for us to become prepared and resilient to disasters, the Republic Act 10121, known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act was passed. And I can say that USHER is a great contribution to this because it becomes a tool for urban planners, structural engineers, and local government units who would want to plan ahead and be ready in the event that we are hit by an earthquake,” he said, keynoting the event.
He noted that Filipino-made USHER technology monitors the structural health of buildings and bridges remotely through its USHER ERI Maximus which functions as an Earthquake Recording Instrument that is more than compliant with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) guidelines and implementing rules on earthquake recording instrumentation for buildings and the National Structural Code of the Philippines.
The USHER has also 24/7Web Portal System that allows remote monitoring and analysis of the structural integrity of buildings and other structures, and enables economical and hassle-free compliance with government regulations, he said.
"I am glad that USHER is now crossing boundaries outside Metro Manila. This testifies the need and importance of this research product commercialization to our people – it is a good example of making science for the people.”
He congratulated Cabuyao City and City of San Pedro, Laguna for being the pioneer adopters of USHER in Calabarzon.
“I hope that you will serve as an inspiration to other local government units that will also adopt this technology in their locale.”
USHER is a research product commercialization project of the Mapua University and the DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD)
DOST-Calabarzon Regional Director Emelita P. Bagsit said the USHER will assist the LGUs in monitoring the structural condition of critical government infrastructures.
"Hence, it is an accurate method to ascertain mitigation strategies to safeguard the buildings where the USHER is installed. It can be used to determine if the building needs retrofitting or is still safe to return back to the building supposing a high-intensity earthquake hits the area,”
She noted that Cabuyao City and San Pedro City are first LGU recipients of USHER in the Calabarzon region.
On Nov. 17 and 19, DOST Calabarzon visited Cabuyao City and San Pedro Cit , inked a memorandum of agreement with them, and installed USHER in their areas, Bagsit recalled.
“We hope that our LGU participants here with us today and other government and private institutions will be inspired and will see how the USHER technology can help them in disaster preparedness and resilience,” she said.
Bagsit said currently, USHER technology adopters are concentrated in Metro Manila.
“That is why we are really looking forward that there will be more technology adopters of the USHER here in the Calabarzon region. In the near future, we will become a testimony to other regions and motivate them also to adopt the USHER and further build a strong country prepared for the disasters such as the most feared: the Big One.”