Satellite phones set to be given to 27 barangays — Mandaue CDRRMO chief

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City government is set to give satellite phones to its 27 barangays.

After distributing heavy-duty generator sets to all its barangays to help address their lack of electricity and water, the city this time will give satellite phones.

These will be used during disasters in situations where signal of regular phones will be unstable.

Buddy Alain Ybañez, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the satellite phones would speed up the response during disasters and keep communication between the city and the barangays.

Ybañez said they had difficulty communicating with the city’s barangays after the typhoon because there was no signal.

Due to the onslaught of super typhoon Odette, several electric posts and cell sites were damaged making it difficult to communicate with someone.

Satellite phones are not dependent on the network of cell sites because they connect directly to orbiting satellites that are in space.

The city will also be providing loads for the satellite phones. He said it will be given right away after it will be activated.

Each satellite phone cost over P38,000. The city bought 37 units, the 27 units will be given to the 27 barangays while the 10 others will be given to the department heads that are members of the response cluster such the CDRRMO, City Social Welfare and Development, Department of General Services, City Engineering Office, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) among others.

“Magtinawagay mang gyud na, kinahanglan mang gyud ta og tabang sa ubang departments, dili ra DRRMO puro, magbutang sad ta ani usa sa Command Center para at least naa sad mo coordinate didto,” said Ybañez.

(We will call each other, we will need help from other departments. It will not only be the DRRMO and we will also put one unit at the command center so that at least there will be someone who will coordinate.)

Ybañez explained that these would be very helpful not just this time but when there would be disasters.

He made the statement as a response to those few, who commented on the Mandaue PIO’s Facebook post questioning why the city had been buying things while they still had not received assistance from the government.

Ybanez said all the current purchases of the city government for its barangays had helped in the city’s Odette response such as water tanks, chainsaws to cut trees and branches, and generator sets to help address their lack of electricity and water.

Ybañez said the city had been distributing relief goods to the affected individuals.

He was referring to the 25 kilos of rice and 10 liters of drinking water given to families whose houses were severely or totally damaged by the typhoon.

The city assured that partially damaged houses would be given 10 kilos of rice and 10 liters of drinking water immediately after the distribution of the aid for families of severely or totally damaged houses would be completed.

“Para sa katawhan namalit man sad og mga bugas ug tubig nga ato’ng gipang apod-apod sa tanan tanan regarding sa bagyo,” he said.

(For the public, we also bought rice and water, which we distributed to all with regard to the typhoon.)

“Dili sad ni pasabot nga abi kay mana man (typhoon). Atoang gihuna-huna dili ra man gud bagyo. At least we see the need, dili ta maghuwat nga kanus-a pa muabot diha pa ta mupalit,” said Ybañez.

(It does not also mean that (we are doing this) since the typhoon is already over. We are also thinking not only about the typhoon. At least we see the need, we will not wait when an incident will happen then that is the time when we will buy.)

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