Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the establishment of a Community-Based Flood Early Warning System (CBFEWS) in Bacolod City.
The signing took place during the 2025 Handa Pilipinas Visayas leg at the SMX Convention Center on Monday morning, Oct. 27.
“This is a vital step toward data-driven, science-based, and informed decision-making in times of calamities and emergencies,” Gasataya said.
Seven major rivers in Bacolod City will soon be equipped with monitoring devices, and nine rain gauges will be installed across the city, he said.
“This equipment will provide real-time, localized data on rainfall and water levels, enabling the city to respond faster, plan smarter, and protect calamity-prone areas more efficiently and effectively,” he added.
Gasataya noted that when he assumed the mayor’s post in July, Bacolod had no instruments of its own to measure rainfall or river levels.
He said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) presented the proposal to install localized monitoring systems to strengthen the city’s disaster response.
“With this system, Bacolod will finally have the tools to make timely, informed decisions grounded in science and guided by technology,” he stated.
The DOST described the CBFEWS as a localized and people-centered flood monitoring and warning mechanism designed to empower local government units in enhancing their disaster preparedness and response.
“It serves as a cost-effective, non-structural flood mitigation measure that is simple to install, easy to operate, and yet highly effective in saving lives and protecting property,” the agency said.
The system is anchored on a river basin approach to flood management, integrating rainfall and water-level data to provide timely and reliable flood warnings. This ensures “that communities have enough time to take preventive actions,” the DOST added.*