Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda has hailed the approval this week by the Bicameral Conference Committee of the bill seeking to modernize the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), which he principally authored and deemed crucial to his province.
Salceda, who was among the members of the Bicam, said he had also submitted his comments for consideration. He thanked Chairman Carlito Marquez “for adopting my comments”, and “I am also grateful to our counterparts in the Senate.”
Once the measure is enacted, Phivolcs’ modernization will see the upgrade of its equipment, increase the number of its seismic stations, improvement of its funding, and provision of better compensation for its personnel, he explained.
Salceda said the approval of the Phivolcs modernization proposal is a significant undertaking for the institute which has been instrumental in saving lives in Albay for decades during Mayon Volcano’s eruptions.
“Phivolcs’ predictions are crucial for disaster risk reduction and preparedness”, he said. The agency is under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). “In many ways, Albay, due to Mayon, will forever need a strong Phivolcs,” he noted.
“Years ago, when Secretary Renato Solidum was still heading Phivolcs, working to help save lives in Albay, I promised him I will deliver on this bill. I hope I have made good on my promise,” Salceda shared.
The lawmaker earlier explained that a modern Phivolcs “will help us get a clearer picture of the dangers we face, and can reduce the economic costs of volcanic and seismic activities” that can be steep and disastrous.
He recalled that in the 1992-1996 period, when volcanic eruptions and seismic activities were especially damaging for the Philippines, some estimates suggest that losses were at USD 2 billion, which at today’s current rates should now be around USD 6.25 billion, or a staggering P343 billion.
Salceda also noted that the “foregone income from Taal (volcano) activity in 2020 alone could have hit as high as P6.6 billion, according to NEDA estimates. The Phivolcs modernization proposal also assumes special importance to Negrenses who now experience the deadly threat of Mt. Kanlaon,s eruption.
With the enactment of the DOST-Phivolcs modernization law, Salceda said the agency shall reform its human resource capabilities, enhance equipment and systems, and thereby provide streamlined services that are at par with international standards, to Local Government Units (LGUs) and the public.
Through the information Phivolcs provide on activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geotectonic phenomena, LGUs can better plan ahead and impose restrictions for the safety of the communities.
He emphasized that an investment in DOST-Phivolcs is an investment in the safety of the people and all other areas exposed to the dangers of volcanic and seismic activities.
