Country hosts geology experts in 4-day event

CEBU, Philippines — The Philippines started hosting the other day the four-day 3rd Annual Session of the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programs (CCOP) in East and Southeast Asia.

In a press conference yesterday, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 Secretary Roy Cimatu said the 14-member countries would share their best practices and exchange experiences on mitigating the effects of natural calamities.

He said that in the Philippines, CCOP has been in the forefront in the establishment of geohazard maps.

"Through these, we will be able to know the landside-prone areas in the country for people to be prepared and be warned in case of heavy rainfall, typhoon, or earthquake," he said.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office Chief Baltazar Tribunalo said sessions on geo-hazards maps during the four-day event would be very relevant to link risk reduction and development.

Ioannis Abatzis, CCOP advisory group chairperson, on the other hand, said that the event was likewise meant to make geoscience useful in implementing and achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

He said conference participants benefit from cross-borders cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experiences.

CCOP  is  an independent intergovernmental organi-zation founded under the auspices of the United Nations in 1966. The Philippines, China, Japan, and Republic of Korea are its founding members.

Currently, CCOP has 14-member countries, namely: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

The organization is supported by 14 cooperating countries, namely: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America.

Initially, CCOP’s function was to promote and coordinate planning for and implementation of joint prospecting programs and research in Asian offshore and geologically-related areas of member countries.

Its function gradually broadened to encompass activities related to onshore as well as offshore prospecting, geoscientific aspect of the development of the coastal zones, and the dissemination of geoscience information helpful for geo-hazard mitigation and the protection of life and property.

This year's CCOP Annual Session is themed "The Role of Geoscience in Safeguarding our Environment," and seeks to gather geologists from member countries to raise public awareness on the importance of the application of geoscientific knowledge in addressing environmental protection and conservation issues.

In a statement, the group said information and knowledge derived from the gathering can serve as input for other stakeholders and policy makers to make way for new science-based policy directions and decisions towards the sustainable development of natural resources and hazard risk reduction. (FREEMAN)