A three-day harmonization workshop of landslide – related studies spearheaded by Project LIGTAS or Landslide Investigations on Geohazards for Timely Advisories in the Philippines was conducted last June 13-15, 2023, at the DENR-CAR Training Center in Baguio City. 

Representatives from the National Government Agencies (NGAs) including Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA), DOST – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR – MGB) including the central office and the regional offices of CALABARZON, Bicol, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and partner academe such as University of the Philippines – Diliman, Benguet State University, Cavite State University, Laguna State Polytechnic University, and Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation attended the event.

The three-day activity commenced with welcome remarks by LIGTAS Project Leader, Dr. Decibel V. Faustino – Eslava. Dr. Eslava emphasized that the workshop aimed to discuss possible harmonization of results, tools, knowledge, and practices of the different projects and eventual adoption by the partner and mandated NGAs. 

“We hope that in this workshop, we can share what we know and what we have learned in our project implementation so that we can come up with a plan to propose to our NGAs. We aimed to come up with a common empirical threshold to use for shallow landslides early warning systems”, said Dr. Eslava. 

Dr. Jenielyn T. Padrones, LIGTAS Project Staff from UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) gave a brief introduction to Project LIGTAS. This was followed by an “expectations and target-setting” led by Dr. Loucel E. Cui, and a networking workshop facilitated by Dr. Juan Miguel R. Guotana.

The workshop continued on the second day with presentations of other DOST-funded projects on landslides including the Project Modeling and Understanding Landslide Events in Baguio City-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (MULAT-BLISTT) by Dr. Dymphna Nolasco-Javier of UP Baguio; CALaMI-T Cordillera Administrative Landslide Monitoring Integrated Toolbox by Engr. Rolette Almuete of UP Baguio,  Dynaslope Project by Dr. Arturo Daag of PHIVOLCS; Simulating Cascading Rainfall-Triggered Landslide Hazards in the Philippines (SCaRP) by Engr. Fibor Tan of Mapua University, and Project LIGTAS by Dr. Eslava of UPLB – SESAM.  Highlighted in their presentations are the project’s objectives, methodologies, and results. Ms. Liza Socorro J. Manzano, Chief of the Lands Geological Survey Division of DENR-MGB was present and made important comments and suggestions. She highlighted the fact that a RILEWS for the country is much needed and the operationalization of one has been postponed for the longest time. She expressed appreciation to UPLB’s Project LIGTAS for organizing the workshop which demonstrates the researchers’ genuine interest in making outputs useful for everyone. Ms. Manzano expressed “Cooperation, not competition” being exemplified by the researchers through the activity. 

After the presentations, a workshop discussing the commonalities and gaps of the projects was conducted. Valuable inputs from the NGAs and ideas from the four different study groups were discussed, evaluated, and documented. An important output from the workshop is that everyone in attendance agreed to form a COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE on the study of Landslides in the Philippines (COP-SLIP) wherein an initial agreement with the Mandated Agencies and Researchers was drafted and discussed on the third day of the workshop. The agreement codified details for the harmonization of research findings, sharing of resources, and collaborating on the development and implementation of effective measures for mitigating the negative impacts of rainfall-induced landslides, and for providing timely advisories to the public.

Project LIGTAS is a DOST-funded project being monitored by DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). (RMAreglado, MRVRegalado, BMLPPedrezuela, JJRapisura)