House Speaker Romualdez meets DOST officials for priority programs
To lay down priority programs and policies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and seek support from policy champions, DOST officials led by Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. paid a courtesy visit to House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin G. Romualdez on 22 February 2023 at the House of Representatives, Quezon City.
Secretary Solidum emphasized the need to enhance the capacity and capability of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to better provide services critical to disaster planning, preparation, and mitigation, among others.
As the national agency dedicated in providing information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other geotectonic phenomena, DOST-PHIVOLCS, plays a key role in the disaster preparedness of the country, together with Local Government Units (LGUs).
Highlighted in the discussion is the country’s vulnerability to geological and hydrometeorological hazards which include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and the need to come up with viable solutions to combat the impact of these hazards.
The passage of the PHIVOLCS Modernization law, as identified by DOST, is one of the concrete and sustainable solutions to this national concern.
Speaker Romualdez assured support in passing laws that will uplift the lives of Filipinos through Science, Technology, and Innovation. Incidentally, last December 5, 2022, the House of Representatives approved HB 6452 or the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP) Act with Speaker Romualdez as one of the principal authors of the measure.
Present during the meeting were House Committee on Science and Technology (S&T) Chair and Aklan 1st District Representative Carlito S. Marquez, Pampanga 4th District Representative Anna York Bondoc, Office of the House Speaker intern and Presidential son William Vincent Marcos, DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., DOST-PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI)
Director Dr. Carlo Arcilla, and Department Legislative Liaison Office (DLLO) Director Lita Suerte Felipe.
Currently, there are seven (7) bills filed on PHIVOLCS Modernization in the House of Representatives. These are HB 3587 filed by 1-PACMAN partylist representative Michael L. Romero; HB 6457 by Ilocos Norte 2nd district representative Angelo Marcos Barba; HB
6921 by Albay 2nd district representative Joey Sarte Salceda; HB 7031 by Kabayan partylist representative Ron Salo; HB 7102 by Aklan 1st District representative Carlito Marquez; HB 7121 by Batangas 6th district representative Ralph Recto; and HB 7142 by Pampanga 4th district representative Anna York Bondoc. (By Kristine Zamora, DLLO)
