It’s now operational – the PDRF Emergency Operations Center!
Named as “the country’s first national emergency operations center”, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation formally inaugurated its ArcGIS-powered Emergency Operations Center, April 3, in Clark, Pampanga.
Present during the inauguration were key PDRF board members, like Ayala Corp. Chairman/CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, PLDT CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan, Magsaysay Shipping & Logistics President/CEO Doris Magsaysay Ho, Aboitiz President/CEO Erramon I. Aboitiz, PDRF President Rene S. Meily, and PDRF Resilience Officer Guillermo M. Luz. Also present were key political leaders of Pampanga like 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, and from the national government, Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
On hand during the formal inauguration were GEODATA SYSTEMS officers and staff who were involved in the development of the PDRF Emergency Operations Center.
PLDT’s Pangilinan highlighted that “disaster management in the country should be a collaborative effort between the government and the private sector.” He add that “PDRF’s formation is premised on the conviction that disaster management is not solely up to the government. The despair of one must touch us all and everyone must help.”
Clark, Pampanga was chosen as the location of the PDRF-EOC because it is one of the designated recovery sites identified by the government in the national contingency plan and an ideal place due to its proximity to the Clark International Airport and Port of Subic Bay.
PDRF is leveraging geographic information system (GIS) technology using Esri ArcGIS in its Emergency Operations Center to effectively monitor, evaluate its key activities, namely, emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, and disaster rehabilitation. With its full operationalization, the PDRF Emergency Operations Center can now:
- Monitor real-time movement/progress of tropical cyclone/heavy rainfall, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and pandemics;
- Monitor disaster-related incidents reported by PDRF field personnel, member companies/organizations, and the public;
- Formulate plans for disaster preparation, mitigation, recovery and rehabilitation;
- Facilitate rapid, effective and efficient disaster response, rehabilitation and in-situ and ex-situ decision making
Since the PDRF Disaster Operations Center is a permanent facility that coordinates private sector’s response with the Philippine government during disasters, PDRF officers believe that using GIS technology will ensure better, effective and efficient coordination and collaboration with concerned government agencies as well as with PDRF’s ecosystems of corporations and partners in the private sector.
With Esri ArcGIS technology, PDRF believes it can rapidly, effectively and efficiently coordinate/deploy/administer its PDRF Network covering six clusters, namely, logistics, telecommunications, water and sanitation, emergency supplies, power/fuel/energy, and early recovery.
PDRF is the umbrella organization of the private sector for disaster preparedness, relief and recovery. Hence, it is the country’s major private sector vehicle and coordinator for disaster management.