Disaster preparations; Negros Oriental LGU forms emergency telecoms team

CEBU, Philippines - The Negros Oriental provincial government organized the first Rapid Emergency Telecommunications Team (RETT) in the Visayas during a two-day training and workshop, spearheaded by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMC), and the Office of the Civil Defense. 

Allen Cabaron of OCD said creating the RETT is important because this is the answer to communication woes when power bogs down during calamities.

Eight teams were organized—two each for the three districts of the province, and two mobile or strike forces to augment the needs of these districts in terms of communication.

The RETT is composed of radio amateur groups, information technology specialists and technical experts, the media and other stakeholders.

Cabaron said Negros Oriental is the first province to comply with the mandate of Republic Act 10121 (Philippine law on DRRM) for the formation of the RETT in the entire Visayas, under the emergency telecommunications cluster.

Present during the two-day activity last week, through a declaration of commitment and support from the participants, was a representative from the National Telecommunications Commission, which in turn is expected to come up with an assigned frequency for such purpose.

Governor Roel Degamo immediately directed PDRRMC head Adrian Sedillo to allocate funds for the purchase of at least three radio repeaters to be distributed in strategic areas in Negros Oriental. Each repeater costs about P30,000, the funding of which will be taken from the PDRRMC.

The purpose of the repeaters is to have interconnectivity between local government units and the RETTs, through radio handsets when communication towers are down and no cellular phone signals during any calamity.

Degamo further said establishment of repeaters in strategic areas of the province would be a two-pronged approach. Aside from calamities, these repeaters would be useful also in relaying of the RETT members to the central command any information about terrorism or terrorist groups. (FREEMAN)