Cultivating A New Era of Disaster Risk Management: DOST-PHIVOLCS Conducts First GeoRiskPH Training of Trainers in Northern Mindanao
May 28, 2024
by: TPadilla
The GeoRiskPH team of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) returned to Northern Mindanao to train future trainers in the first GeoRiskPH Training of Trainers. The training is a follow-up to the training on GeoRiskPH platforms held last February 27-28, 2024, which taught participants how to use the various platforms of GeoRiskPH. This time, the primary goal of the training was to provide local government units (LGUs) and disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) officers the necessary skills to facilitate their own trainings on the GeoRiskPH platforms. This initiative aims to pioneer advanced hazard assessment, risk reduction, and disaster education in the region. The training of trainers was held at the Kekehyu Business Hotel, Valencia City, Bukidnon, on May 28-29, 2024, in collaboration with DOST Region 10. An uplifting message from DOST 10 Regional Director Engr. Romela N. Ratilla opened the first day of training which emphasized the importance of a “Training of Trainers” to spread further and fast-track the use of advanced technology such as the GeoRiskPH platforms in DRRM to prevent and mitigate disasters. This was followed by welcoming remarks from DOST-PHIVOLCS Deputy Director Dr. Ma. Mylene M. Villegas, who encouraged the aspiring trainers to empower others in using the GeoRiskPH platforms to enhance disaster preparedness across the region. Valencia Assistant City Administrator Mr. Rembert P. Bautista also visited during the afternoon session to send the city’s courtesies and appreciation for the training, expressing desire for more similar initiatives in the future. The training proper commenced when Engr. Trisha Marie Morado provided a training overview which highlighted the requirements and coordination prior to conducting a GeoRiskPH training. The succeeding discussions were brief presentations with guided instructions that revisited the GeoRiskPH platforms, GeoMapperPH, HazardHunterPH and GeoAnalyticsPH, and taught participants how to conduct lectures on using these platforms. These lectures were spread throughout the two-day training. Each lecture was followed by an activity prompting participants to engage in a mock lecture on the topic and an interactive quiz on frequently asked questions. On the second day, trainees participated in a design thinking activity with the goal of refining the existing training workflow. Participants were given an opportunity to discuss their ideas and present their plans to utilize what they have learned from the two-day event. A group comprised of research specialists from different Provincial Science and Technology Offices (PSTOs) of Region 10 proposed creating a GeoRiskPH Training Guidebook in collaboration with DOST-PHIVOLCS to help facilitate and institutionalize the trainings on the use of GeoRiskPH platforms. A total of 12 participants, comprised of representatives from LGUs, DRRM Offices, and DOST 10, were each awarded a certification, granting the participants authority to facilitate GeoRiskPH trainings in cooperation with DOST-PHIVOLCS. Moving forward, these individuals will be pioneers in bringing hazard, exposure, and risk information to local communities to help them prepare, plan, and reduce risks brought by natural hazards.