The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will no longer be operating blindly during crises like natural calamities, as during the recent onslaught of typhoon “Aghon.”

This as DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian announced during simple rites at department headquarters the deployment of 16 newly acquired mobile command centers (MCCs) to various DSWD field offices across the country.

“What happened was we had a hub (DRCC) but we could not talk to our regional offices,” said Gatchalian. “This now completes the picture.”

The MCCs will serve as the spokes of the Disaster Response Command Center (DRCC) that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated last January as the DSWD’s central information gathering, monitoring and coordinating unit, he explained.

“No matter what happens, no matter how far, the mobile command centers can be deployed to a disaster area and can continue transmitting data to our regional and central offices,” he said.

With the free-flowing information, Gatchalian said the DSWD could better react to disasters, like providing assistance to affected families, in real time.

Gatchalian thanked Senator Joel Villanueva, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor who witnessed the unveiling of the MCCs, for helping fund their acquisition.

DSWD Undersecretary for Disaster Response Management Group Diana Rose Cajipe said the MCCs feature state-of-the-art Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment.

“The MCCs are custom-made vehicles equipped with surveillance and communication devices, a power supply and other electronic equipment that are vital during disasters and emergencies,” Cajipe said in her message.

She explained that the existing DRCC, acting as the central information hub for disaster incidents, is linked to the Regional Operations Center (ROC).

The MCCs aim to bridge the communication gap in disaster or emergency operations by providing linkages from the disaster-stricken areas to the ROC, DRCC, or the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC), Cajipe said.

“This network will gather critical information from the MCCs, ensuring comprehensive and real time updates for decision-makers,” she said.

The MCCs utilize satellite technology so they are not dependent on terrestrial communication systems like those of telecommunication companies.