Phivolcs proposes community-based landslide warning system for Cotabato
THE PHILIPPINE Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) is eyeing to install an early warning system (EWS) in landslide-prone areas in Cotabato, one of the provinces at the foot of Mt. Apo and the most affected by the series of strong earthquakes that struck Mindanao last year. The EWS will be a community-managed program to give local leaders more immediate access to information for faster disaster management decisions. The provincial government, in a statement, said representatives of Phivolcs, which is under the Department of Science and Technology, presented the Dynaslope Project: Early Warning System for Deep-Seated Landslides last Tuesday to Governor Nancy A. Catamco and Carlito Villaraza, a geologist and structural earthquake engineer.
REBUILDING
Meanwhile, the Cotabato Rebuilding Program was launched Tuesday afternoon, starting with the earthquake-affected families in Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City. During the ceremony, shelter materials for 435 partially and totally damaged houses were distributed along with the release of scholarship certificates, livelihood assistance kits, and other social service interventions. The rebuilding program is led by the Provincial Rehabilitation Task Force in partnership with the multi-sector Mindanao Humanitarian Team.