The
Ateneo de Zamboanga University-Geo-informatics for a Systematic Assessment of Flood Effects and
Risks in Mindanao (Geo-SAFER) ZAMBASULTA Project Office based
inside AdZU’s Salvador campus in La Purisima, was visited today, March 13 by the
Department of Science and Technology Secretary (DOST) Fortunato
Dela Peña and his team. The GeoSAFER project is funded by DOST.
Secretary dela Pena was
joined by his team composed of the following: Undersecretary for Research and Development, Rowena Guevara, Undersecretary for Regional Operations Brenda Nazareth-Manzano (who used to be the director for DOST Region IX and a former member of the AdZU Board of Trustees); Director of the Philippine Council for
Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARD), Reynaldo Ebora, and the current DOST IX
Regional Director, Martin Wee, along with other DOST officials.
During
the visit, AdZU Engineering Department also took the chance to showcase to the
DOST Secretary and his team its latest course offering, the BioMedical
Engineering, which was presented by Program proponent and Engineering faculty member, Engr Eugene S. Kanindot.
AdZU-Geo-SAFER ZAMBASULTA is one of the projects
under the Geo-SAFER Mindanao Program, with the mandate to generate Flood Hazard
Maps of river basins in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (ZAMBASULTA), as well as to develop Siltation Maps of selected
urban river systems and Resource Maps for the Provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and
Tawi-Tawi.
AdZU took on the challenge of flood resiliency in Mindanao last
year with the launch of the Geo-SAFER Mindanao Program. Through the Geo-SAFER
program, the University helps in carrying out the mission of creating “One Resilient ZAMBASULTA,” the GeoSAFER
project motto.
