Following the successful conduct of the Tsunami Run for Safety — a five-kilometer run for tsunami awareness in connection with World Tsunami Awareness Day — held on November 5, 2024, at FGR Park and Baywalk, City of Mati, DOST-PHIVOLCS, in collaboration with the Davao Oriental League of Local Planning and Development Coordinators, Inc. (DOLLPDCI) and the Mati City Local Government Unit (LGU) through the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), conducted a 2-day training on the use of GeoRiskPH applications for Mati City on November 7-8, 2024, at Honey’s Hotel and Restaurant, Matiao, City of Mati, Davao Oriental. The training was attended by sixty-one (61) participants from various national, provincial and local offices in Mati City, including the CDRRMO, City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), City Agriculture Office (CAO), City Information Office (CIO), City Housing and Resettlement Office (CHRO), City Health Office (CHO), City Engineering Office (CEO), Office of the Building Official (OBO), City Economic Enterprise Office (CEEO), City Veterinary Office (CVO), City Environment Resources Development Division (CERDD), and City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO). Additionally, there were regional representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region XI Davao Oriental Second District Engineering Office and Department of Education (DepEd) Region XI. Lastly, representatives from the Municipal Planning and Development Offices (MPDO) of LGU Baganga, LGU Cateel, and LGU Lupon, as well as from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (MDRRMO) of LGU Lupon and LGU San Isidro, and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) of Davao Oriental, attended the training. The training commenced with motivating messages from DOST-PHIVOLCS Director Teresito C. Bacolcol, via a video recording, followed by the City Government Development Head, Mr. Charlemagne C. Bagasol of CDRRMO and DOLLPDCI President Mr. Joseph G. Porgatorio. Participants actively engaged in a series of lectures, including sessions on signing in to and using the GeoMapperPH web and mobile applications. The first day concluded with an in-depth session on other GeoMapperPH functionalities, such as data querying and loading hazard layers, during the GeoMapperPH Database Management lecture. On the second day of training, participants engaged in lectures and hands-on activities on the use of HazardHunterPH and GeoAnalyticsPH. A brief overview of the pro versions of these applications was also introduced. Mr. John Harold Tabuzo delivered a lecture on Earthquake and Volcanic Hazards, providing examples of past disastrous events experienced by the Davao Region. He also discussed how participants can prepare for, respond to, and recover from such events through his presentation on the 3Rs of Disaster and Disaster Preparedness. Additionally, the participants learned how to convert their file geodatabase from GeoMapperPH into a shapefile, a compatible file format that they can use across other desktop GIS applications, such as QGIS. CDRRMO and CAO of Mati presented their re-entry action plans (REAP). Mr. Dexter M. Descotido of CDRRMO presented a one-year timeline of one of their plans which is to populate their municipality’s exposure database by training twenty (20) people per barangay on the use of GeoMapperPH. These trained personnel will digitize building footprints and collect necessary information. They also plan to have a tsunami hazard layer loaded into their GeoMapperPH Exposure Data Mapper. Mr. Bullet Zum T. Bughao of CAO discussed their plans on including training of local farmers on the use of GeoRiskPH applications. To mark the end of the training, Ms. Mirasol G. Domingo, Director of DOST-PSTO Davao Oriental, delivered a closing message, expressing her admiration for the participants from Mati City and other Davao Oriental LGUs who completed the two-day training and demonstrated a proactive commitment to science- and evidence-based planning. Mr. Joseph G. Porgatorio added that a second batch of training for other Davao Oriental LGUs will take place in 2025. He also and emphasized that the +efforts will continue until all LGUs across the province are trained in the use of these applications. This successful two-day training highlights Mati City and Davao Oriental's unwavering commitment to disaster preparedness and resilience. Equipped with enhanced knowledge and skills, participants are now empowered to turn this shared vision into action. Together, let’s Make it Mati a beacon of preparedness and innovation, advancing disaster risk management to new heights for a safer future.