Muntinlupa launches ‘learning bus,’ a first in NCR

From Manila Bulletin by Jonathan Hicap:

Photo from Muntinlupa PIO

The Muntinlupa City government launched the Mobile Learning Hub, the first innovative roving “learning bus” in the National Capital Region to teach people about disaster resilience.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and Rep. Ruffy Biazon led the inauguration of the learning bus of the city’s Department of Disaster Resilience and Management (DDRM).

The bus is equipped with a state-of-the-art Virtual Reality (VR) area wherein residents can wear VR headsets to experience being in “close-to-actual” scenarios of disasters including earthquakes, flooding, storm surge, bomb explosion, chemical poisoning, volcanic eruption, tsunami and landslide.

Through the VR facility, the city government aims to provide immersive, visual and sound-based experience of weather disturbances and calamities and train residents on disaster response.

The DDRM Mobile Learning Hub also has an interactive lecture area with informative videos on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) protective measures, disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, first aid response and management and basic life support.

DDRM chief Erwin Alfonso said the Mobile Learning Hub targets to bring learning about disaster mitigation, adaptation and resiliency to communities and vulnerable sectors.

Fresnedi is hoping the Mobile Learning Hub will empower residents to be well-prepared for disasters and calamities and enhance their level of awareness on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

Last year, the DDRM installed an early warning system across the city to inform communities in a timely manner about typhoon signal warnings, severe flooding and earthquakes.

Muntinlupa ranks No. 1 in the Resilience Pillar under the highly urbanized cities category of the 2020 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index organized by the Department of Trade and Industry and National Competitiveness Council.