I am often asked this specific question:
Flip! Balita? musta na?!
Well, after I got my Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (yey!), I endeavored myself into a string of DOST-funded UP-implemented projects, the latest of which is dubbed ROGER.
ROGER aims to develop, test, and deploy a reliable communications platform that will enable efficient communications between emergency responders in times of disaster. Basically, it is a system that will be rapidly deployed AFTER a disaster, when power and commercial GSM lines are down. ROGER will link a disaster-stricken area to a command center to expedite the rescue and disaster response efforts. Once power and communication lines are restored, ROGER will then be dismantled.
The project is working with parallel timelines - developing setup protocols and user-case scenarios at homebase EEE, and looking out for pilot test sites out in the field. Joining me in this journey is a formidable team composed of young and energetic engineers; namely, Ronel, Mia, Thessa, Giselle, and IZ.
One of the sites that we visited is Sitio Manabayukan in Capas, Tarlac. It is an isolated Aeta community of around 100 households. It has been a beneficiary site for an earlier project, CloudTop.
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| Meeting with the Captain of Brgy. O' Donnell. L to R: Ronel, Kap, Flip, Ate G, Mia |
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| Alta posse at Capas Municipal Hall |
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| First official group picture of the ROGER deployment team (minus IZ) |
To better assess how the system will be deployed, we headed out for Manabayukan. To get there, we have to rent a 4x4 to conquer the terrain. We were all smiles at first, but as the ride got nasty, expletives are thrown all over the place.
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| All smiles before the bumpy ride |
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| Smiles starting to fade |
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| But at the sight of this view, all our pain started to vanish. |
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| After spectrum analysis, its selfie time! |
The site visit got me thinking of other isolated communities in the Philippines, where access to social services is poor. I hope that in the future, we can help empower these communities through technology. For me, this is what a UP-educated engineer should strive for.
