Satellite for communications during calamities readied

Satellite equipment for communications during calamities was successfully utilized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and now waits to be used for a reliable disaster response operations in the country.

The DSWD-Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) recently conducted a simulation exercise for its emergency telecoms team using the newlyacquired satellite communications and connectivity gadgets.

During the drill, the team successfully used the equipment to communicate with different disaster management points in Regions III and V, the National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, and in the West Quadrant Command Post in Intramuros, Manila.

The equipment given by the British company Inmarsat, includes satellite phones, manual and autopointing terminals that can provide high-speed Internet connectivity even in remote locations in the country.

Last month, the agency received the first batch of equipment in a turn-over ceremony in Legazpi, Albay, the chosen pilot region for the program due to their exposure to various kinds of hazards.

Four other regions will receive the same equipment in 2018, DSWD said.

“In times of disaster, relief comes in the form of food, water, shelter, clothing, and the ability to communicate and access information,” DReAMB Director Felino Castro said.

Castro also shared that in the height of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, victims queued to use DSWD’s free Internet service to communicate with their family and friends.

The effectiveness of the equipment will also be put to test in the next nationwide earthquake drill on September 27.