By ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Tuesday, July 16 commenced a three-year collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the country’s capabilities in geohazards monitoring and information dissemination.
Under the initiative titled “The Project for Capacity Development for Monitoring and Information Dissemination of Earthquake, Tsunami, and Volcano,” Phivolcs and JICA formalized their partnership with the signing of the Record of Discussions.
The event held particular significance as it coincided with the 34th anniversary of the 1990 7.8-magnitude Luzon earthquake, which highlights the importance of readiness against seismic threats in the Philippines.
The ceremony was attended by Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol, JICA Chief Representative Takema Sakamoto, and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
Their presence highlighted the strategic importance of collaboration in advancing national resilience to natural disasters.
The collaboration aims to enhance Phivolcs’ capabilities in earthquake monitoring, tsunami early warning systems, and effective dissemination of critical geohazard information across the Philippines.
To achieve its goal, the initiative will include comprehensive training programs in the Philippines and master’s courses in Japan to facilitate knowledge exchange between experts from both countries.
“This project will entail a series of comprehensive training programs in the Philippines and master’s courses in Japan that will enable our team to learn from the seasoned experts at JICA and its partner universities and organizations. We deem this as an invaluable knowledge-sharing experience, as it empowers the DOST-Phivolcs to implement the best practices from Japan and tailor these to our specific needs,” Bacolcol said.
The collaboration will leverage JICA's expertise in earthquake analysis, tide level assessment, tsunami early warning, and disaster information communication.
Overall, the project is expected to contribute to the continuous enhancement of Phivolcs’ ability to provide timely and accurate information for disaster preparedness and response.