KA IKING 4U: Disaster Risks and Emergency Alerts Management System

It is common knowledge that internet signals are weak in many parts of the Philippines. In spite of that problem however, many barangays are relying on the internet to send and receive messages that would enable them to respond to disaster risks and many other emergency situations.

Obviously, that is a very dangerous proposition, because if the internet signals are down, then these barangays would be cut off from the rest of the country, and therefore, they could not be contacted.

In the technology field, there is nothing wrong with using high tech solutions, but we should also continue using low tech solutions for as long as these are still available, and especially if these are actually affordable.

By comparison, it would be safe to assume that the combination of the three mobile networks in the Philippines would have a wider coverage than that of all the internet networks combined. That is the reason why I believe that a Disaster Risks and Emergency Alerts Management System (DREAMS) using the Short Messaging System (SMS) networks could still work and might even work better than an internet-based system, especially in far flung and remote places such as the Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas (GIDAs).

According to some statistics, only about half of mobile units in the Philippines could be considered as “smart phones”, and the other half are considered as “legacy phones”, meaning that they are only capable of sending and receiving SMS messages. In other words, they could not be used to run mobile apps, and neither could they access browser-based web applications.

Personally, I believe that some of those who own “smart phones” are only using them only to send and receive SMS messages, because they simply do not know how to use the “smart” features of their high-tech phones. Either that, or they simply refuse to learn.

All told, it could be said that there are more SMS users in the Philippines than the users of mobile apps.

In partnership with a strategic partner, I am now offering DREAMS as a complete SMS system to all barangays in the country. Although it is primarily programmed for disaster and other emergency purposes, it could also be used for other purposes such as community notices, community training, and community news. It could also be used for educational and healthcare purposes. Moreover, it could be used for barangay surveys and feedback purposes.*