To address any movement of the West Valley Fault that may cause damage to life and property, the Quezon City government has established ties with the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative (EMI).

The EMl is an international scientific initiative organization established to advance urban risk reduction policy, knowledge, and practice in megacities and fast-growing metropolises. The group is a member of the UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and partner of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. As a scientific organization, EMI is endorsed by the International Geographical Union, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, and the International Union of Geological Sciences.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said he has ordered the assessment of all the city government programs and projects to know whether they are aligned with the standards that will guarantee a more disaster-resilient city.

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After EMI's successful capacity assessment of Pasig City's Geographic Information System (GIS) for Disaster Risk Reduction Management, eight (8) participants from various departments of Pasig City Government attended the Disaster Risk Geo-Spatial Database Training held last September 5, 2012 at the Tanghalang Pasigueño.

EMI led the one day hands-on training that developed the employees' GIS skills and taught them how to manage their data. Prior to the event, EMI representatives installed the training data and submitted a draft copy of user guide. The lecture, consisted of five sessions, was centered on how to manage and update the Geo-Spatial Database using Quantum GIS. The sessions aimed to train the participants to use their Disaster Risk Geo-Spatial Database for earthquakes and flood analysis.

Mr. Ritche Van Angeles, Mr. Reynaldo Dellosa, Mr. Jonathan Gocatek and Mr. Paulo Platon represented the Pasig City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.  They were keen to incorporate GIS in their rescue and emergency effort in the city. Management and Information System Office (MISO) representatives Aleli Dela Cruz and Edelle Jane Roldan were old-time GIS users and found the training relevant to their work. The City Planning and Development Office had Ms. Rowena Cebamico and Ms. Rhoda Formalejo to represent the office. Although first-time GIS users, they went through the prescribed sessions with ease. Project Coordinator Engr. Nicolas Cruz and colleague Mr. Angelo Dee, both of the Engineering Department, also attended.

At the end of the day, each participant presented their finished maps of selected barangays in Pasig.

Geographic Information System, also known as GIS, is long implemented in Pasig City Hall but had not been fully utilized in the past years.

Sixteen participants from international development organizations, national government agencies and the private sector have successfully completed the Damage and Reconstruction Needs Assessment (DRNA) Course dated  July 16 - August 15, 2012. The four-week specialization course provided the participants with guidance for long term policy decisions on disaster risk reduction and introduce basic tools for assessing damages and losses caused by natural disasters.

Among the participants, Ms. Molly Williams, a Senior Resource Mobilization and Planning Manager of World Vision, got the highest mark followed by Ms. Ada Piazze, Mr. Eric Rheinstein, Mr. Joseph Mokati and Mr. Nayef Khouri.

The excellent works of Ms. Ada Piazze, Mr. Eric Rheinstein, Nayef Khouri and Mr. Thomas Peterman were cited as the Best End-of Course Project.

Mr. Joseph Mokati of World Food Programme has this to say about the course: “The course was very interesting, challenging and informative. I have learnt a lot, met interesting and brilliant people that fed me with a lot of wisdom and materials to enrich my knowledge and skills. Also, a big thank you to all faculty members who have worked tirelessly to make this course happen.”

The course was implemented by the following team: Mr. Jose Mari Daclan as Course Director, Dr. Nilgun Okay as Subject Matter expert, Ms. Matilde Go as Course Facilitator and Mr. Jesus Dominic Dizon as Course Administrator.

For more information, please contact Mr. Jesus Dominic Dizon, Program Coordinator at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it