Smart Communications Partnership Project On DMP Successful-Official
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A Smart Communications partnership project in ten areas here in this province on Disaster Management Preparedness has proven to be successful.
This was the disclosure of Darwin Flores, Smart Senior Public affairs Operation Officer, after he and his group of representatives from partner World Bank, Philippines Business for Social Progress and the provincial government of Southern Leyte have evaluated the project during there recent Tuesday visit at the broadcast site stationed at the provincial capitol.
The areas involved in the aforesaid project were Maasin, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus,Libagon,Liloan,San Francisco,Pintuyan,San Ricardo,Anahawan and Hinunangan.
Flores explained in answer to a query from the media during a press conference that Smart, which also partnered with other telecommunication companies chose to use Blackberry mobiles “because it’s highly capable for communication” in this kind of project that his company is piloting here.
The Smart rep also implied they always try to avoid releasing false alarm during disaster or calamity by only conveying messages to selected Mayors to avoid panic among the inhabitants being affected.
World Bank operation officer Christopher Pablo informed that the PDRP project’s broadcast system is doing fine which in turn strengthens its installation in various LGUs of the province.
Leilani B. Mc Donough of PBSP,married to an American-Irish descent, revealed that 2 cellphones were given to every involved barangay.Their principal contact persons are the Barangay Captains in the aforesaid municipalities in time of calamities or disasters.
She said they have already trained some municipal employees in PDRP(Provincial Disaster Response Preparedness),which she described as multi-hazard task, to response to any natural or man-made disaster/calamities.
Jason Calva, who heads the Provincial Disaster Management Preparedness group further divulged that the project has started last Sept. 14,2010.
He said the LGUs involved have provided counterparts of P500, 000.00 each. While the provincial government’s counterpart are in kind, donations,office space and its partnership with GIZ.
The PDMP head also stated that GTZ,now GIZ has always been providing financial assistance to other provincial government’s projects in other areas.
Asked by Jani Arnaiz,PDI correspondent, why there were still reported fatalities during the St. Bernard calamity last January,Dodi Fernandez head of the Provincial Disaster Management Council, responded that the main cause was that parents whose houses were carried away by flashfloods were busy collecting drifted coconuts by the river.
However, in some areas, he said, there were no reported casualties during heavy rains that caused also landslides and floods in other parts of the municipalities.
Which regards to the problem among cellphone users as to the absence of signal in some localties, Sanny Malakad,Smart Leyte Areas Supervisor, informed that two of the main causes of “no signal” were tall buildings and high mountains that posed as blockade to cellsites’ signals.
Malakad estimated that one cellsite could serve at least 5 barangays located in plain areas. But for barangays located in different geological make-up, it would be hard for the Smart personnel to indicate how the signal from its cellsite would work.
Users are advised to just look for higher grounds where signals could be received by their cellphones.
Moreover, the WB representative confided that when the project would be finished, it shall also be replicated in other provinces, including the whole Visayas areas, if the officials want it too.
The following day ,Smart and its project partners guided by Calva motored to brgy., Timba in Malitbog to conduct an Assembly for the barrio folks and its officials concerning the contingency plan on the implementation of Disaster Management Preparedness. (Quirico M Gorpido,Jr.)
N.B.The 10 years old city of Maasin has no available skin specialist for several years now. Dentists are many, but some persons who have skin problems, particularly those who have little income cannot go to Cebu City for consultation-only those who have the means or the moneyed denizens. WE hope this small message can reach those skin specialists who happen to be internet users.Maybe a skin specialist can hold his//her clinic even 3 times a week-Monday,Wednesday and Friday.
N>B> Diocese of Maasin Dialysis Center with laboratory
Tel no./Fax number: (053)381-2321; moboie phone: 0917-3061078
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