SM group completes GeoRiskPH training to strengthen climate risk assessment

SM INVESTMENTS CORP. (SMIC), parent company of the SM group, said it completed a two-day training program conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DoST-PHIVOLCS) on the GeoRiskPH platform.

The platform provides online tools to assess location-specific risks from earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, storms, and climate change, SMIC said in a statement on Tuesday.

Nearly 60 executives and representatives from SM companies participated in the training, including teams from SM Prime Holdings, SM Retail, SM Markets, BDO Unibank, China Banking Corp., 2GO Group, and Philippine Geothermal Production Company.

The workshops provided hands-on guidance on using GeoRiskPH to identify hazards, determine which areas are at risk, and view hazard exposure in terms of population and infrastructure, SMIC said.

SMIC said SM Group Sustainability Office Head Koleen Davila Palaganas noted that “given the SM Group’s presence across the regions, the effective use of GeoRiskPH can also contribute to the safety of our employees and communities, as well as enable faster and more informed disaster response and relief operations.”

GeoRiskPH is a multi-agency project led by PHIVOLCS since 2018 and funded by DoST in coordination with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD). It serves as a central source of information on environmental hazards and allows the public and private sectors to conduct free hazard assessments.

SMIC said the platform now includes several tools: HazardHunterPH, which provides multi-hazard assessments; GeoMapperPH, which allows data collection and development of a national exposure database; GeoAnalyticsPH, which presents maps and analyses for risk-informed planning; and PlanSmart, which supports digital disaster rehabilitation, recovery planning, and land-use planning. — Alexandria Grace C. Magno