Aklan Rep. Carlito Marquez on Saturday appealed to the Senate to support the passage of House Bill 10730 or the proposed Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Modernization Act.
The bill’s principal author and chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology made the appeal after the House led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez approved the bill on third and final reading by an overwhelming 183 votes.
The said bill seeks to enhance the country’s capacity to respond to natural hazards by modernizing PHIVOLCS, the agency responsible for monitoring seismic and volcanic activities.
“In a country like ours, where seismic and volcanic activities are a constant threat, it’s not a matter of if but when the next disaster will strike,” Marquez said in his sponsorship speech.
“This bill is essential to ensuring that PHIVOLCS is fully equipped to protect our people from the devastating impacts of these natural calamities,” he added.
Moreover, the said measure proposes the modernization, upgrading, and expansion of PHIVOLCS personnel and infrastructure.
It highlights the need for increased funding to enhance the agency’s monitoring and warning capabilities, including the expansion of seismic stations and the deployment of cutting-edge technology to better understand and predict future earthquake and volcanic events.
