(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Monday, 14 July 2025) The Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) continues to affect Mindanao. FORECAST: The Zamboanga Peninsula will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the Southwest Monsoon. These conditions may lead to possible flash floods or landslides, especially during moderate to occasionally heavy rainfall. The rest of Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms also influenced by the Southwest Monsoon. Winds will be light to moderate from the southwest, with slight to moderate seas (wave height between 0.6 to 2.1 meters).


Wednesday, 13 December 2023

DICT installs communication equipment to boost connectivity in disaster-prone areas in Caraga

By Renelle L. Escuadro

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Caraga, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), recently deployed very small aperture terminal (VSAT) units to the identified disaster - prone and highly vulnerable areas within selected local government units in the region.

“Super Typhoon Odette served as a lesson to us when communication totally went down. This time we have a resilient communication system with VSATs now available in disaster- prone areas of the region,” DICT-Caraga regional director Sittie Rahma V. Alawi said.

This initiative bolstered the government's disaster preparedness and emergency response by ensuring continuous communication and coordination lines  before, during, and immediately after natural disasters.

Engr. Joe Mike G. Durac, team leader of the government emergency communication system project of DICT–Caraga, disclosed that prior to the recent earthquake in Surigao del Sur, the team was able to deploy VSATs to three beneficiary sites in the area.

“The installation of the three VSATs in Surigao del Sur was very timely, especially with the recent magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Hinatuan that ensured continuity of communication despite the calamity. Hinatuan, as the epicenter of the earthquake, had its complete installation in November 2023. We have a team now in the affected province that is checking the VSAT stations to ensure that they are fully functional,” Engr. Durac added.

With its significant features and ability to transmit information from remote locations using satellites, VSAT is put in place to guarantee connectivity in rural, coastal, and island locations, making it feasible for emergency preparedness and communication redundancy. 

During the Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRMC) Full Council 4th quarter and emergency meeting, DICT - Caraga, as lead agency of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, shared that the department had already installed a total of 20 VSATs in the entire region. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)

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