UPDATE: Thank you so much for the remarks. Well, English is not our native language so it’s inevitable to commit mistakes. Thank you so much for the corrections mga ate and kuya. Thanks! 
With the completion of Davao city’s state-of-the-art Public Safety Command Center (PSCC) which is the sole facility ever mounted in the soil of the Philippines and with the city’s very own weather monitoring and disaster alert system installation, is it safe (or right) to say that Davao City doesn’t need the PAGASA anymore?
While reading skyscrapercity.com, an online forum for development and construction enthusiasts, a user’s post caught my attention and left me a big and interesting question. With these equipments we have right now, do we still need to rely on PAGASA to tell us what will be our weather condition everyday? PAGASA has been dumped for several times now due to inaccuracies in weather forecasting that has been witnessed during the devastation of the previous typhoons that have recently hit the northern part of the country.
That’s the big question that was bugging my mind to death since this afternoon, the moment after i read that forumer’s post. And after of several hours of critical thinking (LOL), I’m so glad that I’ve been able to come up with a good answer, i think. (Well, forgive me if this isn’t really the best answer for the question, this is only my personal opinion, and please take note I’m just an ordinary student and I’m not an expert. 
)
For me, I don’t think so. With these system that we have right now, I don’t think this will sustain all the works that PAGASA is doing. Although this will enhance the local authorities’ capabilities in terms of monitoring and weather condition awareness, I don’t think we should disregard PAGASA as a premier source of information when it comes to weather forecasting.
But one thing is clear, for sure this will speed-up the authorities’ response time when a disaster strikes the city since they don’t need to fully rely on PAGASA’s words anymore since they already have their own monitoring system and the information is already localized. Plus the construction of a central command center which centralizes all the units of the local government will surely boost the authorities’ scope within the city’s vicinity.
Davao City Public Safety Command Center (PSCC)
The Public Safety Command Center (PSCC) serves as the nerve center for 17 CCTVs installed in 16 strategic areas in the city, covering entry and exit points and populated areas in the downtown areas, and the traffic signalization for the entire city.
The PSCC will also serve as a venue for coordination on matters of public safety with:
* Davao City Police Office (DCPO) – on crime prevention, suppression, and investigation;
* Traffic Management Command, Traffic Group-DCPO – on traffic management and enforcement;
* City Health Office and City Social Services and Development Offices – on actual and emerging health emergencies and management of victims and emergency shelters;
* Central 911, Bureau of Fire Protection, Red Cross and volunteer organizations – on all types of rescue services, including fire prevention and suppression, and hazardous materials response;
* Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council, Office of the Civil Defense, and Regional Disasters Coordinating Council - on planning and responding during calamities, disasters, and other special events.
davao city public safety command center building
Davao City
Many factors have made Davao City different from other cities in the world, there are positive and negative factors but one thing is the key factor, our local leaders. We have a bunch good legislators (not all, of course), and most of all our city mayors (the Duterte -s) are true people and a true public servants.
From being a murder capital in the Philippines way back before, Davao city is now truly a venue for peace, harmony and prosperity.
Long live my homeland Davao City!
