Aquino: Gov’t needs precise info on disasters

MANILA, Philippines—A visit to a foreign computer company’s mission control facility in Taguig City on Thursday had President Aquino thinking about the need for correct information “perhaps devoid of human emotions” to effectively respond to disasters.

Mr. Aquino said emotional reports from the field carry with them the danger of causing inappropriate responses and a misdirection of the government’s resources.

“(One) can really see the potential of how we will be able to govern better because information will be delivered correctly, timely, and devoid perhaps of human emotions at times especially when it comes to disasters,” Mr. Aquino said at the inauguration of Hewlett Packard’s control facility and executive briefing center at the Intellectual Property Center in Taguig Thursday morning.

“When it’s a disaster, you get a report of people who are panicking. Normally, it is exaggerated to the nth degree—and there is a potential to misdirect resources and capabilities,” he added.

The President said “(he) can’t help but imagine while looking at the capabilities of this mission center exactly how it dovetails into what we need.”

“We are a country of 95 million people. I guess we have 95 million bosses that will have to be attended to every day,” Mr. Aquino said.

“Now, we have a lot of infrastructure, a lot of traffic that has to be moved efficiently, a lot of … opportunities in our agriculture sector wherein we really link the producers of all of the produce with the potential markets in real time is so essential.” he said.

“Bottom line is this: We need good information to make the right decisions. There is more and more … or there are more and more quantities of information that have to be absorbed in quicker and faster moments,” he added.