Fax still mostly used to transmit weather alerts to LGUs—Palace

MANILA, Philippines—In an age when information travels in mere seconds using high-tech digital devices, disaster management agencies in the Philippines still dispatch urgent weather-related warnings via the painfully slow fax machine.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council uses text messages and fax transmissions to alert local government units of the tracks of weather disturbances.

“That’s sent two ways—through SMS and through fax,” Valte said.

“Many ask, why fax? Unfortunately, one of the most used modes of transmission in the government is the fax machine,” she added.