Cayetano pushes for more sustained funding for PHIVOLCS modernization

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano wants to see to it that there is continuous funding for the modernization of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), saying merely approving a five-year plan does not guarantee its success.

“I don’t want us to just pass a specific five-year plan and then not allocate the necessary funds,” he said ahead of a public hearing on Monday, February 12, 2024, on the proposed PHIVOLCS Modernization Act by the Committee on Science and Technology, jointly with the Committees on Energy, Ways and Means, and Finance.

Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Science and Technology Senate Committee, emphasized the advantages of modernizing PHIVOLCS, saying it will assist the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its infrastructure program, among others.

“Hazard mapping will aid everyone in construction, including where to build and where not to build new roads,” he said.

During the Senate hearing on the PHIVOLCS Modernization Act on December 1, 2023, PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol said some local government units are already using the agency’s hazard mapping for their land use planning.

The modernization aims to install 300 earthquake monitoring stations, 82 sea level monitoring stations, complete monitoring systems, geologic hazard maps, a new building with cutting-edge amenities such as research facilities, and an information and communications technology server room.

On Monday’s hearing, Cayetano will also discuss the importance of being ready in case the feared “Big One” – an earthquake that could have a magnitude of 7.2 or even higher – hits Metro Manila.

As projected by PHIVOLCS in 2016, such a temblor could cause 48,000 fatalities and 24,000 severe injuries.

Additionally, infrastructure destruction could lead to widespread power and communication failures, alongside significant economic losses estimated by the World Bank at P2.5 trillion given that the National Capital Region accounts for a significant portion of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

Cayetano emphasized the need to strengthen PHIVOLCS as a proactive measure.

“Itong modernization bill… I think we should really give it all the effort… It will help us in the long-term,” he said.###