Law on open data for disaster management pushed

MANILA, Philippines — A multi-sectoral group is pushing for a new law that will provide open access to data that are crucial in responding to disasters.

Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, a professor at the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences, presented the findings of his study titled “An Open Data Law for Climate Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction” at a recent forum organized by independent think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi).

Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADRi, said while strides have been made on disaster preparedness since Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the country in 2013, the study remains highly relevant with the frequency of natural disasters hitting the country every year.

“We’re one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, as well as other natural disasters, owing mainly to our geographical location. Worse, the consequence of these disasters is aggravated by poor infrastructure, which is more pronounced in the countryside, where, tragically, calamities more frequently occur,” he said.

Lagmay cited an incident during the rescue operations following the 2006 landslide in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, as a testament to the life-saving potential of freely available data in disaster response.

“It was one of the biggest landslides in the world in the past century, and for so many days a 2,000-man search and rescue team tried to look for one barangay—Guinsaugon, particularly an elementary school. There was word that came out there was a teacher who texted saying that they were still there, alive, with 400 children,” he said.

The school, which was supposedly buried under 30 meters of rubble, actually had a GPS point that could’ve been used to aid rescuers, Lagmay said.

“We knew there was available data but the GPS point was only given on the seventh day after the request, and so the rescue efforts failed. More than 1,000 died,” he said.

Lagmay said that after studying disasters like the Saint Bernard landslide and related policies, the need for an open data approach emerged, he said.  “We must have open access. We must have open knowledge, open science, and open government,” he said.

Lysander Castillo, secretary general of the Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship, stressed the importance of institutionalizing a law on open data to push government agencies to the right direction.

“We have manpower challenges, technology challenges, capacity challenges and that’s where having a law is an advantage,” Castillo said.