Philippine Embassy Shares Experience on Consular Contingency Planning
DCM Meñez represented the Philippines in discussing the Philippine experience on crises, disasters and contingency planning.
1 July 2019 – At the Regional Workshop on Consular Contingency Planning organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 25-26 June in Tokyo, Deputy Chief of Mission Eduardo M.R. Meñez presented on the Philippine experience on crises, disasters and contingency planning.
First Secretary and Consul Charmaine A. Serna-Chua and ATN Officer Hazel Joy P. Panong- Calabocal participated at the workshop in identifying hazards in Japan and mapping the Filipino community in the prefectures.
The seminar was also an opportunity to learn about developments on disaster management which may be useful to the Filipino community when preparing for and responding to a disaster.
The IOM and JTB Tourism Research Consulting Co. representatives presented information on the “Safety Tips” app, developed by the Japan National Tourism Organization. The app provides alerts about early earthquake warnings, tsunami warnings, and other weather warning within Japan in English, Japanese and Chinese. The app provides various functions useful for both tourists and residents in Japan, such as an evacuation flowchart showing actions to be taken, communication cards for obtaining information from the people around, and website links related to the disaster.
Community members and tourists may also be aware that telecommunication is very often restricted following a major disaster due to the overflow of calls. Wi-fi is also disconnected when electronic power dies.
For communication within Japan, residents/tourists may call the Disaster Emergency Message Dial Center (dial 171). To record, please press 1; to play back, press 2; to record using a PIN, press 3; and to play back using a PIN, press 4. When relatives and friends then call your number, the message that you recorded will be played.
