Taiwan and the Philippines sign MOU on disasters

NEW MILESTONES:
The cooperation would help address critical issues in mitigating disasters and transcend boundaries, the MECO chair said

Taiwan and the Philippines yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance bilateral exchange and experience-sharing on landslide and debris flow disasters.

The MOU, titled “Partnership on Landslide and Debris Flow Disaster Research,” was signed by Taiwanese Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) and his Filipino counterpart, Silvestre Bello III.

Bello is the chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), which represents the Philippines’ interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

Due to the geographical proximity of the two countries, both face similar natural disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes and landslides, Chow said during the signing ceremony.

A recent example is the massive earthquake which struck on April 3, measuring a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale, which left at least 18 people dead and caused widespread damage in his hometown, Hualien County, Chow said.

It is imperative for both governments to strengthen collaboration in the field, he said.

The MOU is expected to facilitate future joint research and development on investigation, monitoring and early warning systems, as well as remote sensing technology, Chow said.

The collaboration would educate and empower communities in responding to natural disasters and enable the creation of more resilient technology, he added.

Bello said the MOU marks another milestone in the Philippines-Taiwan relationship that would help both sides address critical issues in mitigating landslide and debris flow disasters.

The MOU would facilitate wider cooperation “transcending national and local boundaries,” Bello said.

The deal was sealed yesterday during a half-day workshop held at the Ministry of Agriculture office in Taipei, attended by experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to exchange techniques and share experiences on landslide and debris flow disasters.

The ministry has worked closely with the institute over the past few years and jointly organized international seminars to conduct in-depth discussions on natural disaster management issues, share valuable experiences and develop closer ties, it said.

The MOU signed yesterday covers cooperation on soil and water conservation technology, geological disaster research, climate change impact assessment, adaptation strategies and the application of high technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to disaster management, the ministry said.

The two parties are to jointly organize seminars, workshops, education and training, based on scientific research and technological innovation, to jointly improve their ability to handle landslides, it added.