BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial government of Negros Occidental has partnered with the Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC) for the conduct of remote sensing-geographic information system (RS-GIS) trainings to enhance its information and data base systems for disaster management initiatives.
Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) head Ma. Lina Sanogal said on Thursday the memorandum of agreement was signed by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. for the province on Wednesday.
Sanogal, who chairs the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Prevention and Mitigation Committee and head of the Council Secretariat, signed the agreement as a witness.
The signing rites, which was part of the culmination activity for the National Disaster Resilience Month in July, was held at the Capitol Social Hall.
Dr. Renato Sorolla, college president, signed for the CHMSC with Dr. Janet Espinosa, vice president for research and extension, as witnesses.
Also present were Second District Board Member Samson Mirhan, chair of the Provincial Board’s committee on disaster preparedness, and Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head Zeaphard Caelian.
The project seeks to foster partnership between the two parties in enhancing disaster risk reduction management through research collaboration and community extension services.
Geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing features and events on earth while remote sensing (RS) refers to the science of collecting data regarding an object or a phenomenon without any physical contact with the object.
The agreement stated that Negros Occidental will ensure the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in its development plans, programs and projects and recognizes the need to enhance land use maps, hazard maps and risk maps as part of information and database management in disaster management.
It added that to substantiate its systems, particularly on science and technology relative to disaster management, the province recognizes the need to partner with a competent institution with technical capabilities on RS-GIS.
For its part, the CHMSC is capable of technology transfer, particularly in the conduct of RS-GIS training, having extension community services through technical advisory services as well as research functions as part of its mandate in relation to national goals and regional development thrusts.
In the implementation of the partnership, the provincial government will approve the training design, designate technical personnel as a support team, provide logistical requirements, pay the necessary fees and other expenses, and peform other necessary and incidental functions,
Meanwhile, CHMSC will assign technical personnel who will coordinate with the province, prepare the course designs, provide technical assistance in the training implementation, provide resource persons and training team, and provide technical documenters. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
