The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has sought for closer consultations with the government to strengthen its early warning system in light of the recent typhoons in the country.
During a courtesy call to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, JICA President Dr. Tanaka Akihiko commended the government for its “exemplary performance” in managing the series of typhoons.
Tanaka noted the Philippines recorded relatively few casualties despite the high number of typhoons it dealt with.
“We would like to have deeper consultation with the government of the Philippines. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that disaster risk reduction is one of his priorities,” Tanaka told President Marcos.
Tanaka praised the Philippines, noting that its disaster response systems outperformed even those of some advanced nations.
“In comparison with many other developing countries and in comparison with many advanced nations, I believe the Filipino management of the floods and typhoons in many ways [is] exemplary.”
He expressed confidence in the shared ability of the Philippines and Japan to provide valuable insights to the global community on disaster management.
For his part, President Marcos underscored the importance of new technologies, particularly in early warning systems, to address the escalating challenges posed by climate change.
“[Of] great importance are the new technologies that are available. The early warning is becoming more and more important because we have noticed that whereas before, the usual typhoon season, when a storm is maybe two or three days away, even if [it] becomes a storm surge, it slowly develops,” the President said.
“Now, when it is Category 1 Storm, in 24 hours, it’s category five. It seems to be a new phenomenon that we have to deal with. That is why early warning systems, the meteorological warnings [are important],” he added.
As part of the Philippines’ effort to improve disaster preparedness, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) is working with JICA on the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) system to fully digitalize PTV-4.
The project aims to establish an Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS). |PND
