Recognizing the critical need for seamless and continuous communication during disasters, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) launched the National Emergency Communications Strategic Plan (NESCP) to mark the country’s shift to an integrated communication architecture in all phases of risk reduction and management.
Launched on August 10, NECSP serves as a national roadmap for identifying and strengthening mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted telecommunications services and enable rapid delivery of vital information during disasters and emergencies.
Sarah Maria Sison, DICT Undersecretary for Policy and Legal, highlighted the uncertainty that communities face when key infrastructure such as roads and telecommunication lines fail during disasters.
“Sa panahon ng sakuna, ang unang nawawala kadalasan ay ang katiyakan—nawawalan ng kuryente, napuputol ang signal, hindi madaanan ang mga kalsada, hindi agad nalalaman kung sino ang ligtas, sino ang nangangailangan ng tulong, at saan dapat rumesponde,” she said.
Sison added that disruption in communication gateways also affect government response and further exposes communities to danger.
“The quality of communication affects the quality of action, a delayed warning exposes a community to danger. [A delay] in instruction creates confusion, a disconnected command center slows down rescue. This is not a technical footnote to disaster response, it is disaster response,” she noted.
Pablo Lorenzo, Undersecretary for Civil, Veteran, and Reserve Affairs of the Department of National Defense (DND), welcomed the NECSP, emphasizing its role in the country’s shift toward an integrated national communication architecture.
“The successful formation of the NECSP 2028 is very much welcome in establishing a unified and technology-driven framework for emergency communications across [the Philippines]. At its core, it is a decisive shift towards an integrated national communication architecture that combines advanced technologies into operational realities on the ground,” said Lorenzo.
As its key partner, the private sector has also expressed its support to the NESCP. Veronica Gabaldon, Executive Director of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, underscored the importance of technology in ensuring a seamless emergency response.
“Innovation does not require every institution to replace its systems or uses. Their practical role is interoperability. Technology should bridge national and local government, public and private networks and establish systems and new opportunities,” Gabaldon said.
Currently in its early phases, the DICT is establishing systems and standards needed for the implementation of the NECSP through governance, standards and capacity-building initiatives. Within the next two years, the national framework will focus on strengthening systems, infrastructure and interoperability, leading to a resilient nationwide emergency telecommunications system by 2030. (PB-PIA CALABARZON)
Article by Patricia Bermudez | Philippine Information Agency
