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Phivolcs says seismic equipment in Tarlac stolen

Mon Rodelas

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The government&#x27;s seismic monitoring equipment at the San Jose Observation Station in Tarlac have been stolen, a development that will make tracking volcanic and seismic activity more difficult.In a press conference on Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the theft was discovered during a routine maintenance check Wednesday morning, adding there were indications of forcible entry to a seismic vault.Phivolcs said thieves made off with a high-end Kinemetrics Quanterra Q330HRS+ digitizer valued at P1.144 million, along with solar batteries worth around P70,000. Authorities believe the theft took place on July 28, as indicated by a data outage recorded on that date.&quot;Ang pagkawala ng equipment ay hindi lamang pagnanakaw sa gobyerno, ito rin ay pagnanakaw ng proteksyon ng komunidad,” said PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol, emphasizing the broader public safety implications.(The loss of the equipment is not just theft of government equipment, it also steals from the community&#x27;s protection)<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/5/22/marcos-hopes-phivolcs-modernization-depdev-creation-will-improve-pinoys-lives-1614">Marcos hopes Phivolcs modernization, DEPDev creation will improve Pinoys’ lives</a></div>The equipment was part of the Pinatubo Volcano Network, crucial for the station&#x27;s operations as as it transforms earthquake signals detected by borehole sensors into data that helps with early warnings and seismic monitoring.VPSJ is vital for tracking volcanic and tectonic activity beneath Mount Pinatubo and for recording significant earthquakes throughout Northern Luzon.Ma. Antonia V. Bornas, who heads the Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division at Phivolcs, described the San Jose station as one of the most advanced in their network.“Para po sa ating collective safety sa paligid po ng Pinatubo, isa rin po itong malaking dagok dahil mababawasan po yung accuracy ng location natin ng mga volcanic earthquakes dito po sa Pinatubo with the loss of this digitizer.,” she explained.(This is for our collective safety around Pinatubo. This is also a huge blow because it affects the accuracy of detecting volcanic earthquakes with the loss of this digitizer)She said the agency cannot just come up with the P1.144-million digitizer for the borehole instrument, which requires specialized equipment.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/5/22/marcos-hopes-phivolcs-modernization-depdev-creation-will-improve-pinoys-lives-1614">Marcos hopes Phivolcs modernization, DEPDev creation will improve Pinoys’ lives </a></div><div> </div><div>THIRD TIME EQUIPMENT STOLEN FROM SITE</div>This marks the third theft at the VPSJ station since late 2024, following the theft of solar panels in October and December last year. In response, PHIVOLCS has started marking their equipment with permanent labels and is working closely with the local government in San Jose to enhance security at the site.They referenced Republic Act 10344, the Risk Reduction and Preparedness Equipment Protection Act of 2012, which makes it a crime to steal or tamper with disaster preparedness tools.“The unauthorized taking and stealing, keeping, or tampering of government risk reduction and preparedness equipment, accessories, and similar facilities ay pine-penalize po ng batas,” she reiterated.During the briefing, it was noted that while installing CCTV had been considered, the high power consumption and the station’s remote location presented challenges.However, Phivolcs is now looking into options like intrusion alarms and tamper-detection systems, collaborating with local police.“Mukha man lang pong maliliit o napaka-minor po ng mga instrumentong ‘yan, ito po ay mga lubhang napakamahal at ang pinaka-importante po ay mas mahalaga po ang kanilang role na ginagampanan,” Bornas said.(It may seem like a minor instrument but it is very expensive and, more importantly, it has a very important role in our work)

The government's seismic monitoring equipment at the San Jose Observation Station in Tarlac have been stolen, according to Phivolcs.

The government's seismic monitoring equipment at the San Jose Observation Station in Tarlac have been stolen, according to Phivolcs.

Theft of Phivolcs equipment in Tarlac to hamper quake early warning, monitoring

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Theft of Phivolcs equipment in Tarlac to hamper quake early warning, monitoring

Mon Rodelas,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 06, 2025 07:46 PM PHT

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Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

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