ABS-CBN TVplus with MMDA shake drill for 3rd year

ABS-CBN TVplus partnered with the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) and the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRC) for the third straight year and participated in the MMDA shake drill that allowed three million homes with ABSCBN TVplus to experience its built-in emergency warning broadcast system (EWBS).

During the drill, the EWBS issued an alert on TV sets connected to switched-on ABS-CBN TVplus units as it reminded users to “duck, cover and hold.”

“Disaster preparedness is essential for every Filipino family this is why we take part every year in MMDA’s shake drill. With the EWBS feature of ABSCBN TVplus, TVplus users who were watching TV last Friday received an automatic message that popped on their screen with proper instructions on what to do during an earthquake,” Chinky Alcedo, head of ABS- CBN Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), said.

Launched in the same year ABS-CBN TVplus was introduced, the EWBS feature of ABS-CBN TVplus forms part of its public service and is the first and only technology of its kind in the Philippines that warns and reminds the public to duck, head for cover and hold. The EWBS is also a technology available through the ISDBT, which is the standard chosen by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

ABS-CBN TVplus also adds to the growing list of digital properties of ABS-CBN, which is now rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, with the biggest online presence among all media companies.

“Majority of Filipinos still rely on television for news and information this is why TV is still the powerful medium for information dissemination. Since the EWBS is a built-in feature of the ABS-CBN TVplus, our Kapamilya (viewers) who are watching TV will be alerted and given safety precautions when natural calamities like earthquakes strike that will definitely help save lives,” Chinky elaborated.

The emergency warning can be triggered by the designated government agency in times of calamity and the warning message will flash on the TV screens of ABS-CBN TVplus box users who are watching ABS-CBN, S+A, CineMo, YeY, Knowledge Channel and DZMM TeleRadyo.