OCD Urges Eastern Visayas Barangays to Prepare Backup Warning Systems When Signals Fail

Posted on August 25, 2026 at 6:17 am

Tacloban City — Barangay officials in Eastern Visayas should have other ways to warn residents when cellphone and internet signals are lost during disasters, an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said.

Assistant Secretary Laurence Mina, OCD deputy administrator for operations, said barangays need communication plans that explain how they will reach residents, especially those living in areas at risk, when regular communication services are not available.

“Our barangay officials should have a communication plan outlining how to reach out to people in vulnerable areas if the signal is lost. This is very crucial to save lives,” Mina said during a multisectoral forum on August 19, Wednesday, in Tacloban City.

The forum, organized by the Philippine Information Agency, brought together representatives from national government agencies and barangay officials. It was held under the theme “Building Resilient Communities.”

Mina said barangays should not rely only on mobile phones and the internet to send warnings during emergencies.

He suggested using megaphones and assigning people to go around neighborhoods to announce warnings and evacuation orders.

Bells can also be used, he said.

“People in the past used bells to communicate warnings,” Mina said, adding that rapid or repeated ringing could alert residents to dangers such as rising floodwaters or an approaching storm.

The advice is especially relevant in Eastern Visayas, where communities regularly face typhoons, heavy rains, flooding and landslides.

The region has six provinces among is Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Biliran and Tacloban City. Many communities are along the coast, while others are located in mountainous and upland areas.

Eastern Samar and Northern Samar face the Pacific Ocean and are often among the first areas in the region to feel the effects of storms coming from the east. Leyte, Samar and Biliran also have communities exposed to flooding and landslides. Southern Leyte, with its mountainous terrain, has areas that are vulnerable to landslides.

These risks can become harder to manage when a strong storm damages power lines, cellphone towers or other communication facilities.

Mina said barangay officials should also know which parts of their communities are most at risk and identify residents who may need help during an emergency.

This includes people living in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas and those who may have difficulty receiving or following evacuation instructions.

Knowing these residents ahead of time can help barangay officials decide where warnings should be sent and who may need assistance in leaving their homes.

Mina also reminded government agencies, local governments and communities that disaster preparedness should not be something they think about only when a storm is coming.

He said it should be part of their regular work throughout the year.

For barangays, that can start with something as simple as knowing how to warn residents when the phones stop working.

When the signal is gone, the warning still has to get through.

Photo courtesy: OCD Eastern Visayas

Photo caption: Office of Civil Defense Assistant Secretary Laurence Mina speaks during the “Building Resilient Communities” multisectoral forum on August 19 in Aviore Hotel, Tacloban City.