DOTC takes lead in disaster preparedness meet

MANILA, Philippines - Signifying the urgent need for disaster preparedness by the business community, two Cabinet secretaries – Transportation Secretary Jose P. de Jesus and Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin — have been invited to be main speakers in the 6th annual conference Protect 2011: Doing Business Amidst New Threats to be held this April 5 and 6 at the New World Hotel. 

Secretary Cesar P. Garcia, national security adviser and director general of the National Security Council, will also grace the event.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is taking the lead in reducing the vulnerability of society and the business community to natural disasters whose frequency and severity have already caused large-scale loss of lives and damage to property.

The need for disaster preparedness has become urgent as people and business communities expand or locate near naturally-hazardous areas such as earthquake zones, coastlines, aging industrial facilities (e.g., underground oil and gas pipelines), busy highways, and skyscraper commercial offices and condominiums.

As the partner agency of the 6th annual conference “Protect: Doing Business Amidst Business Threats”, the DOTC seeks to strengthen the government-private sector collaboration on preparedness for disaster through networking and sustaining awareness for updated means for disaster preparedness.

Those interested to join the conference from April 5 - 6 at the New World Hotel may contact the conference organizer Leverage International (Consultants) Inc. at 810-1389; 818-6828 or Fax No. 810-1594 or e-mail: [email protected].

Included in the agenda of the conference are preparedness for natural disasters, pandemics, terrorist attacks, cyber threats, fuel supply disruptions, and threats to intellectual property rights. There is a session on strengthening community and business resiliency which includes the role of new media and technology, securing critical infrastructures, building a “smart city” and developing public and private sector partnership for low-cost effective emergency management and business continuity.

Another important session of the conference will be the introduction to the delegates of the latest technologies for network video by AXIS Communications of Singapore, the future of surveillance by Panasonic, and building an e-city by Huawei Technologies.

Resource persons in Protect 2011 come from the United Nations, ESCAP, Aviation Security International, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (Singapore), Hewlett Packard, Nanyang Technological University, Huawei Technologies, RSA-EMC, DOST, IPO, AIM, Business Profiles, Axis Communications and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies.