OCD, Smart ink deal on LGUs receiving SMS alerts on disaster preparedness

MANILA, Philippines - Local officials in areas affected by disasters will soon receive timely text advisories that would enable them to craft preparedness plans and save lives.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and Smart Communications Inc. on Thursday signed an agreement on Infoboard, a web-based short message service platform that would provide a fast way to spread vital information in times of disasters.

The agreement will provide early warning and emergency alert to disaster management officers and local executives through text messaging.

The system will also let local governments report what is happening on their respective areas and to request for assistance. 

The agreement was signed by OCD Administrator Eduardo del Rosario and Smart Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council conference room in Quezon City.

“The information exchange will enable the leaders to make the right decisions that will save the lives of our countrymen,” del Rosario said in a press briefing.

“This simple technology will help us a lot in sending advanced, timely information to the right people,” he added. 

Isberto said they are looking forward to developing more communication tools for disaster preparedness.

“This (Infoboard) is not a money-making project for us. This has been an advocacy we are embracing for years,” he said. 

Infoboard will be operational on Oct. 1 and is part of the efforts to promote public-private partnerships on disaster risk reduction and management.

The system will provide advisories and announcements to pre-registered Smart subscribers. It can also receive feedback and conduct surveys and provide real-time results.

Smart has offered the Infoboard service platform and monthly SMS allocation for free. The company has initially allotted 30,000 free text messages per month for the project but the number can be adjusted when necessary.  

Del Rosario said they would gather the mobile phone numbers of local officials and disaster management officers so they can subscribe to the system. There are about 100,000 local executives in the country.

Smart is a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., whose multimedia arm Mediaquest Holdings Inc. has a 20 percent stake in The Philippine Star.