JICA seeks collab with PH on early typhoon warning systems

The Japan International Cooperation Agency is seeking deeper collaborations with the Philippines when it comes to early warning systems amid tropical cyclones. 

During a courtesy call on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, JICA President Dr. Tanaka Akihiko lauded the Philippine government for its “exemplary performance” when it comes to managing the series of tropical cyclones that hit the country. 

Tanaka underscored that the Philippines had recorded “relatively few casualties” despite a number of tropical cyclones in the past weeks. 

“We would like to have deeper consultation with the government of the Philippines. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that disaster risk reduction is one of his priorities,” Tanaka told Marcos. 

“In comparison with many other developing countries and in comparison with many advanced nations, I believe the Filipino management of the floods and typhoons in many ways [is] exemplary,” he added. 

Tanaka further expressed confidence in the “shared ability” of the Philippines and Japan to provide valuable insights to the global community about disaster management and response. 

New technology

Meanwhile, Marcos underscored the importance of new technologies, particularly in early warning systems, in order to address the escalating challenges brought by the occurrence of climate change. 

“[Of] great importance are the new technologies that are available. The early warning is becoming more and more important because we have noticed that whereas before, the usual typhoon season, when a storm is maybe two or three days away, even if [it] becomes a storm surge, it slowly develops,” the President said. 

“Now, when it is Category 1 Storm, in 24 hours, it’s category five. It seems to be a new phenomenon that we have to deal with. That is why early warning systems, the meteorological warnings [are important],” he added. 

As part of the Philippines’ effort to improve disaster preparedness and response, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) has been working with JICA on the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting (DTTB) system to fully digitalize PTV-4. 

This project aims to establish an Emergency Warning Broadcast System (EWBS). 

—VAL, GMA Integrated News