Partnership for disaster resilience under connectEMERGENCIES realised

[L-R]: DICT Regional Director Eva May Dela Rosa, unconnected.org Country Manager Benjz Gerard Sevilla, MinDA Chairperson Leo Tereso Magno, MinDA Deputy Executive Director Romeo Montenegro

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and unconnected.org are working together to address digital infrastructure gaps and the need for emergency communications. 

MinDA has formulated the Mindanao Agenda 2023–2028, which places significant emphasis on Preparedness and Resiliency. One of the key initiatives is the proposal to establish the Mindanao Disaster Resiliency and Economic Information Center. This aims to address the pressing need for Mindanao to be better equipped and more resilient in the face of disasters and natural hazards. 

In this context, the provision of disaster-resilient connectivity solutions is recognized as an essential component in ensuring timely coordination and response. unconnected.org is enabling free use of satellite kits to MinDA, ceremonially turned-over before the community during the Mindanao GovTech Summit. 

unconnected.org and MinDA are also to conduct joint training workshops for disaster responders and to participate in various communications and simulation exercises in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), as the lead agency for Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC).

With the partnership, satellite connectivity is to be utilized at no cost to address communication gaps during disasters and emergencies.
This project is made possible through funding from the Internet Society (ISOC) Foundation to unconnected.org.