Alaminos, Pangasinan activates next generation emergency response command center

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The City of Alaminos, Pangasinan has become the first city in the Philippines with a state of the art emrgency communication system. They launched their Next Generation Emergency 911 Command Center September 10 and now makes their public safety technology at par with the Next Generation Advanced (NGA) 911 being used in the US and Europe.

Alaminos City in Pangasinan has become the first city in the country to boast of a cutting edge emergency communication command center to respond to the public safety concerns of its citizens.

Before Alaminos, the town of Morong, Rizal had been the first municipality in the Philippines to provide world-class, state of the art emergency response.

At the National Emergency Response Summit held last August, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos stressed the need for a unified, nationwide 911 emergency response system that uses the latest technology, like in the US and Europe. He exhorted all LGUs to put up their own emergency response centers equipped with the latest technology.

Abalos said the need is critical – especially during La Niña. LGUs must respond swiftly and accurately to emergencies, save lives and property and deliver quality public service.

“Every city and town must set up its own local emergency call center,” Abalos said, and directed the National E911 Office to involve all relevant agencies in the mission, emphasizing that advanced technology is a must in emergency response.

E911 National Office Executive Director Francis Fajardo explained that cutting edge emergency response command centers staffed by well-trained and dedicated personnel who can handle crises and emergencies with precision and professionalism will serve as the nerve center for emergency operations in all LGUs. “The goal is to provide efficient and effective emergency response services to every corner of the nation,” Fajardo said.

The Alaminos and Morong initiatives are thus a hearty response to the call of the DILG Secretary and the National E911 Office.

Alaminos City Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste and Vice Mayor Jan Marionne Fontelera welcomed Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas, E911 National Office Executive Director and Pangasinan First District Representative Arthur Celeste on September 10 as the City launched the Alaminos, Pangasinan Next Gen 911 Command Center in Poblacion.

Like Morong, Alaminos City has partnered with NGA 911 to provide their constituents with world-class and complete solutions for emergency communication and public safety services.

NGA Philippines is the local subsidiary of NGA 911, LLC headquartered in California, USA, globally known as the innovator of emergency calling technology, and the leader in Next Generation 911 (NG911) emergency communications worldwide.

Built on industry standards adopted by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) in the United States and the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), the NGA 911 system and technology will revolutionize the way and speed with which the LGU can handle emergencies.

“LGUs are most capable and should operate their own command centers because they know their own terrain, people, and types of emergencies best,” Executive Director Fajardo observed.

“The E911 National Office is a disaster recovery site and we are here to support Alaminos and all other LGUs that will put up their emergency response command centers. We will continue to provide guidance and training and route 911 calls, consistent to their activation process,” Fajardo added.

NGA 911 Country Head Robert Llaguno said “All 911 calls to the Alaminos DRRM Command Center are now fully recorded and conference and transfer facilities are now seamless. Its capability to respond efficiently and accurately to emergency callers has been revolutionized. Now, when someone calls 911, the location of that particular caller is immediately provided and the search radius is limited to just about 5 yards with 90% accuracy.”

The Alaminos emergency response team has already completed its capacity development training, supported by the Emergency 911 National Office, Llaguno shared. Response time in Alaminos has been cut from 3 to 4 minutes, the standard response time set by the DILG and the PNP.

Mayor Celeste lauded the activation of the City’s 911 command center, saying, “This is no ordinary 911. When you call, you’re not going to be patched to another agency. If you call within Alaminos, it’s now the command center that answers. All calls are recorded and give the exact location. No longer do citizens need to remember 11 digits and look for a CDRRM member to get help. What you see in Hollywood movies where someone calls 911, we already have that in Alaminos. This technology will really help our citizens.”

Why Wazzup Pilipinas is the Best Online Platform in the Philippines

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In the ever-growing digital landscape of the Philippines, finding a reliable and comprehensive source of news, entertainment, and information can be challenging. Wazzup Pilipinas has consistently proven itself to be the top online platform, setting a benchmark for content quality, relevance, and engagement. Here’s why Wazzup Pilipinas stands out as the go-to online destination for Filipinos.

1. Unrivaled Credibility and Trustworthiness

Wazzup Pilipinas takes pride in delivering news and stories that matter. As a trusted source for both local and global events, it has established itself as a platform that people can rely on for accurate, timely, and insightful information. With a team of experienced contributors, Wazzup Pilipinas ensures that every article meets the highest standards of journalism, making it the most credible source of information in the Philippines.

2. Comprehensive Coverage of Filipino Interests

Wazzup Pilipinas offers a wide array of content that covers everything from national news, entertainment, and business to lifestyle, travel, and technology. Whether you’re a professional looking for updates on the latest business trends or a casual reader interested in the hottest entertainment buzz, Wazzup Pilipinas has something for everyone. The platform’s deep understanding of what resonates with the Filipino audience makes it uniquely positioned to serve its readers’ needs.

3. Supporting Filipino Culture and Business

One of the key missions of Wazzup Pilipinas is to highlight the Philippines as a prime destination for both business and leisure. The platform regularly showcases local entrepreneurs, innovative businesses, and cultural highlights, promoting the Philippines on a global stage. This not only helps boost the local economy but also fosters a sense of pride and unity among Filipinos.

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Wazzup Pilipinas is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to a wide audience. Whether you’re browsing on your phone, tablet, or desktop, the website’s clean and intuitive layout ensures an enjoyable experience for all users. Its engaging content format, including articles, videos, and interactive media, ensures that visitors stay informed and entertained.

5. A Voice for the Filipino Community

Wazzup Pilipinas is not just a platform for news; it is a platform for the people. It encourages active participation from its audience through social media engagement, comments, and reader contributions. This makes it a dynamic and interactive platform where everyone’s voice can be heard. As the digital community grows, Wazzup Pilipinas remains a central hub for Filipinos to share their stories, opinions, and experiences.

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At its core, Wazzup Pilipinas is passionate about promoting the Philippines as a world-class travel destination. Through its in-depth coverage of travel destinations, cultural landmarks, and local festivals, Wazzup Pilipinas inspires Filipinos and foreigners alike to explore the beauty of the archipelago. The platform emphasizes why the Philippines should be the top choice for both leisure and business travel, highlighting its rich history, vibrant culture, and unparalleled natural beauty.

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Wazzup Pilipinas is always evolving to stay ahead of the curve. The platform continuously adapts to the latest trends in digital media, ensuring it remains relevant in a fast-paced world. Whether it’s covering groundbreaking tech innovations or championing sustainability initiatives, Wazzup Pilipinas embraces change and strives to reflect the aspirations of a modern Filipino society.

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Wazzup Pilipinas is more than just an online platform—it is a digital home for Filipinos worldwide. Its commitment to credibility, inclusivity, and cultural pride makes it the best choice for anyone looking to stay informed, entertained, and connected with the pulse of the nation. From business leaders to everyday readers, Wazzup Pilipinas is the platform that truly represents the voice and spirit of the Philippines.

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Here’s How UP Physicists are Helping with the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

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A black hole inside an accretion disk. (Photo credit: BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash)

In 1916, Albert Einstein theorized that two merging black holes create ripples in the spacetime fabric, similar to how a pebble creates ripples in a pond. These ripples, called gravitational waves, stretch and squeeze spacetime in amounts so minuscule that they were once believed to be too faint to detect.

But a century later, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US, an L-shaped facility with arms spanning four kilometers each, detected minute discrepancies in how long lasers travel through each arm, signaling the first detection of gravitational waves.

Now, scientists are preparing to launch a more sophisticated observatory into space, aiming to detect even fainter gravitational waves or those beyond LIGO’s capabilities. This space-based facility, known as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna or LISA, is a triangular observatory with sides spanning tens of millions of kilometers and is set to launch in the 2030s.

As preparation ramps up, scientists around the world are pitching ideas to improve LISA’s detection capabilities. Dr. Reinabelle Reyes and her former graduate student Marco Immanuel Rivera, from the UP Diliman College of Science’s National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) recently published a study identifying a set of parameters that could improve the analysis of signals coming from LISA and future gravitational-wave observatories.

Unlike LIGO, which mainly detects gravitational waves coming from two stellar-mass black holes, LISA hopes to detect a type of gravitational wave coming from compact objects – such as neutron stars, white dwarfs, and stellar-mass black holes – orbiting supermassive black holes. “When a stellar-mass black hole orbiting a supermassive black hole falls into it, an extreme-mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) gravitational-wave signal is produced,” Dr. Reyes and Rivera explained.

One complication with detecting EMRIs is that the environment where the compact object-black hole pair resides can considerably affect the EMRIs they emit. For example, supermassive black holes are often surrounded by glowing rings called accretion disks, which can modify the EMRI signal just as the Earth’s atmosphere distorts light from faraway stars.

By understanding how these environmental features affect EMRIs, astronomers can not only filter out noise from the signal but also learn about the environment itself. For instance, by studying the imprints of the environment on the gravitational wave signal, astronomers can infer the density of the accretion disk.

Their study considered three environmental factors that may substantially influence the EMRI signal: accretion, gravitational drag, and gravitational pull. Their analysis determined the most measurable parameter combination, which is heavily dominated by these environmental effects. They also estimated how precisely these parameters can be measured—an essential factor for extremely sensitive detectors like LISA.

Their analysis is built upon a mathematical tool called the Fisher matrix, which evaluates how accurately an experiment can measure different observables. To illustrate, imagine a catch basin designed to collect water, rocks, and leaves. The Fisher matrix determines and quantifies how effectively the basin can catch each object separately, even before the experiment is set out.

“The Fisher matrix is used by astrophysicists to estimate the expected precision to which certain properties can be measured from a given signal to be observed in a future detector,” explained the authors.

While their study shows promise, Dr. Reyes and Rivera noted that modeling EMRIs is challenging due to strong gravity effects, and more accurate modeling is needed. “It will be interesting to compare with calculations based on the newer waveform models which are adapted for EMRIs, as well as those which contain the effects of non-trivial environments,” the authors said.

“In the future, we hope to see how the parameter combinations we presented in this study can be applied directly in improving parameter estimation methods used in gravitational-wave astronomy, such as stochastic samplers,” the authors concluded.



By Harvey Sapigao