NDRRMC to use P9-M radio system during disasters

MANILA, Philippines - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) will implement a P9.5-million communication project that will ensure the timely delivery of field reports in times of disasters.

NDRRMC executive director Eduardo del Rosario said the Emergency Radio Communication System Project will allow field officers to relay updates even if telecommunication lines are affected by disasters.

The project will use satellite technology and allow mobile phones to connect with hand-held radios.

“Our radio system will be in place if everything else fails. We can establish communication (with field units) even if cell sites are bogged down,” Del Rosario said over the weekend.

Del Rosario also said the project involves the acquisition of a P4 million-equipment called integrator and hand-held radios.

Lt. Col. Edwin Sadang, officer-in-charge of the NDRRMC Operations Division, said 15 hand-held radios and 10 mobile phones will be distributed initially to local disaster management councils.

The technology will enable disaster management officials to communicate with responders who are 80 to 100 kilometers away.

The project may become operational by October, Del Rosario said.

Earlier, the Office of Civil Defense announced that it is forging a partnership with Smart Communications, Inc. to set up a system that will alert disaster-prone areas through text messaging.

Officials said the aim is to save lives through timely, fast and accurate information. The government and Smart is expected to sign the contract for the text blast system next month.

Smart is a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., whose multimedia arm Mediaquest Holdings Inc. has a 20 percent stake in The STAR.