NDRRMC, Smart collaborate for disaster preparedness app
MANILA, Philippines-Disaster preparedness just got techy.
To equip Filipinos with a better and improved knowledge in preparing for disasters, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and Smart telecommunications on Monday launched Batingaw, an application for disaster risk reduction and management.
Batingaw, which is the Tagalog word for bell, is aimed to “facilitate a nationwide system for disaster response and management,” a statement said.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the mobile app could potentially save lives when disaster strikes.
“You could probably save a lot of lives with this,” said Gazmin who has installed the app in his phone. “People would be aware, well it takes dedication to practice what they have learned.”
Batingaw could be used as a medium to communicate between the subscriber and the Office for Civil Defense and NDRRMC to inform the public on environmental and man-made hazards.
It can be used to give government agencies, emergency agencies, and private organizations immediate access to advisories, location data, and disaster mappings in a fast way.
“The OCD and the NDRRMC continue to explore ways to inform the public on disaster risk reduction and management measures and systems to save lives and properties,” NDRRMC Chief Undersecretary Alexander Pama.
“With this mobile application, we have added another strategy to reach out to people with helpful tools right at their fingertips,” Pama added.
Ramon Isberto, Smart Public Affairs Group head, said the mobile app “is a valuable lifeline during emergencies” as “almost everyone” owns a smart phone.
Android users can download Batingaw through the Google Play Store while Apple users can download it through iTunes.
“This partnership of OCD with Smart Communications is proof of the growing collaboration of public and private institutions for the benefit of our nation,” Pama said.
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