The Philippines is an archipelagic country made of more than 7,000 islands. Its location in Southeast Asia makes it a part of the countries located in the Pacific Ring of Fire which is also known as the typhoon belt. Now, the Ring of Fire is home to 75% of the world’s volcanoes. This also means that 90% of the world’s earthquakes happen around this area. This, therefore, makes the country prone to a number of natural disasters.
That said, the Philippine Government has always been on the lookout for better disaster preparedness and management. Aside from that, the national government agencies were all tasked to review and realign governmental efforts especially in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Super Typhoon Yolanda, in 2013.
In response to the natural disasters that the country regularly faces, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) introduced the Government Emergency Communication System-Mobile Operations Vehicle for Emergency (GECS-MOVE) in November 2019. This project of DICT is focused on strengthening the capacity of the government’s disaster response, especially in the field of communication. As the then DICT Undersecretary Elisio M. Rio, Jr. said “When there is a disaster, the first thing to go down is the commercial communication services. So, there is a need for the government to put up at once a communication service that will be used before, during, and after a disaster.”
GECS-MOVE consists of 1 hub
(a 6-wheeler truck specifically customized for its intended purpose as a communication hub), 1 dispatch (a 4x4 utility vehicle customized to be used as a dispatch truck during calamity), and at least 1 motorcycle (an off-road motorcycle meant to be used to reach far-flung areas that the dispatch truck can not reach). These vehicles will always be considered as a set that will be manned by a team composed of at least 5 technical members.
Now, MOVE will serve as the bridge between the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Regional DRRM Unit. The integrated communication system of the MOVE Hub will be synchronized with the NDRRMC Operations Center to allow wired and wireless connectivity for voice and data communication. Two-way radio communication is also available between the hub, dispatch, the motorcycle/s, and the personnel just in case the wireless signals from commercial communication services are totally down.
Additionally, the role of the MOVE along with different communication technologies in disaster response helps augment the current emergency systems in the country. DICT Undersecretary for Resilient Government Emergency Communications, Alan A. Silor, even added that “Rapid deployment of emergency telecommunications in the aftermath of a disaster is crucial. Always be ready and prepared, because there is no right time for downtime.” (Christine Amylie Sagaral, MSDC-II)
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