FILIPINO SCIENTISTS SHARE KNOWLEDGE WITH CAMBODIANS ON DISASTER RISK AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
A group of Filipino scientists and engineers from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the University of the Philippines (UP) successfully conducted a training course on the application of Light Detection and Ranging (more commonly known as LiDAR) on the management of disaster risk and the management of natural resources at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) in Phnom Penh from 25-29 June 2018.
A total of thirty-four (34) Cambodian participants from government, as well as academic and private sector practitioners, took part in the five-day training program on the value, uses and applications of LIDAR technology - a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth - particularly on disaster risk reduction and resource assessment.
ITC Director General, Dr. Om Romny, expressed his appreciation to the Philippine government for providing the training on LiDAR applications, which he cited will be useful for Cambodia in dealing with natural disasters, as well as in the conservation of cultural heritage sites. He added that the ITC, Cambodia's premier institution for science and engineering, counts among its faculty several professors and researchers who finished their graduate studies from Philippine universities.
In his remarks at the Opening Ceremony, Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia Christopher B. Montero said that the Philippine government takes disaster risk and has devoted significant resources to build disaster capacity and reduce population vulnerability, nationally and locally.
“We are pleased to be able to share our knowledge on the application of LiDAR technologies on disaster risk management with Cambodia, which, like the Philippines is among the top ten countries with the highest chance of disaster,” Ambassador Montero said. He also recalled the support of the Philippines to Cambodia’s capacity-building efforts in various areas, including health, banking, migration, vocational training, and agriculture.
The LiDAR Training is part of the 60 scholarships and trainings on science and engineering for Cambodians that was announced by President Duterte during his State Visit to Cambodia in December 2016 to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Cambodia in 2017. This initiative is also part of the Philippines’ commitment to ASEAN Science-Technology-Innovation (STI) partnership aimed at enhancing STI collaboration and capacity in ASEAN, particularly through the ASEAN-help-ASEAN scheme for Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
