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Caveat Emptor, Let the Buyer Beware

(First of a Series) Seismic Accelerographs are very expensive. A single unit will easily cost you an average of well over and about a million pesos (Philippine Currency) more or less, certainly much more than the price of some quality brand-new cars. Prices range from a little less than a million pesos to around 2 million pesos for a single unit depending on the brand and supplier that you will be dealing with. But why so expensive? Is it worth the usefulness of the device? Only the suppliers can answer these most commonly asked questions and the best that buyers can do is to thoroughly require them to provide you with more than satisfactory answers. With so much cost involved in purchasing seismic accelerographs, one must be fully equipped with utmost care and purchasing knowledge as this equipment will be installed in the very structures that you will be spending a lot of your working time in, supposedly, with your safety and the structural health in mind. Diligence in t
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Which Seismic Accelerographs are truly 100% DPWH IRR Compliant?

As has been observed, quite a number of seismic accelerograph suppliers have standing claims that the brands that they are carrying are 100% DPWH IRR Compliant. These claims are prominently manifested in their websites, marketing materials, company profiles, email campaigns, proposal letters and strongly flaunted on their actual product presentations. It may understandably come as a standard for their marketing campaigns all toward the objective of a sale. The dilemma that the buyer faces is how to know which are 100% compliant. This is just one side of the coin. The burden of proof always lies on the sellers to undisputedly justify their claims and give unquestionable credence to their claims. For the well-informed, resourceful and intelligent buyers, these claims will not stand a chance to unmolestedly penetrate their minds without giving it a good shake-down. This has been our noble purpose and our ultimate aim right from the start, that is to arm the general buyers and prov
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Earthquake News (M4+): Magnitude 4.6 Llorente (Eastern Samar) 05 Mar 2018 - 09:05:34 AM

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF VOLCANOLOGY AND SEISMOLOGY   EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION NO. :   1   PHIVOLCS Bldg, C.P. Garcia Avenue, U.P.- Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES Tel.: 426-1468   Fax: 927-1087 Date/Time: 05 Mar 2018 - 09:05:34 AM Location: 11.37°N, 125.41°E - 015 km S 72° W of Llorente (Eastern Samar) Depth of Focus (Km): 030 Origin: TECTONIC Magnitude: MLv 4.6 _M46D30_B1F This is an automatic solution Expecting Damage: NO Expecting Aftershocks: NO Issued On: 05 March 2018 - 09:10 AM Prepared by                   : PPS/KRV/ICE IMPORTANT   This will be the only bulletin issued unless additional information        becomes available
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Phivolcs Press Release: DOST-PHIVOLCS TO LAUNCH PHILIPPINE EARTHQUAKE MODEL ATLAS FOR DESIGNING EARTHQUAKE RESILIENT BUILDINGS

Monday, 08 January 2018 15:54 The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) will launch the Philippine Earthquake Model (PEM) Atlas on January 17, 2018 at the 2/F Auditorium of PHIVOLCS Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City. This atlas is a handbook of probabilistic seismic hazard maps that will aid engineers in designing earthquake resilient buildings and structures. It can also be used as a tool for land use and urban planning, and disaster risk management plans of LGUs, government agencies, and other stakeholders. The PEM Atlas aims to promote and enhance the existing National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP), a referral code of the National Buidling Code (NBC). This will serve as basis for designing earthquake resilient structures like residential and commercial buildings, critical facilities such as dams, bridges, and hospitals, and hazardous installations such as nuclear, bio
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Phivolcs Press Release: PHIVOLCS Researchers Joins the First AOGS-EGU Joint Conference

Monday, 12 February 2018 16:01 Twenty-two researchers from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) joined the first Asia Oceana Geosciences Society and European Geosciences Union’s Joint Conference held at Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay on February 5-8, 2018. A total of 23 research studies was presented through oral and poster parallel sessions with themes “Black Swan and Grey Swan events”, “Natural Hazards in the Megacity”, “Natural hazard communications, warning and Monitoring”, and “Single Hazard Case Studies”. Among the research studies presented are the results of the assessments of the 10 February 2017 Surigao Earthquake and 06 July 2017 Leyte Earthquake, Landslide Warning and Monitoring developments, Volcano Monitoring parameters and updates, and the newly released Philippine Earthquake Model. The conference, with the theme “New Dimension for Natural Hazards in Asia”, was attended by 155 foreign researchers from Asia, Europe and America, and 58 loca
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PHIVOLCS PRESS RELEASE: ESTABLISHMENT OF EARTHQUAKE MONITORING STATION IN IBAJAY, AKLAN

Sunday, 25 February 2018 10:22 The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) will inaugurate the Ibajay Seismic Station on February 27, 2018 8:00 A.M. at Ibajay Seismic Station in Aklan State University, Ibajay, Aklan. PHIVOLCS aims to expand the Philippine Seismic Network by establishing additional earthquake monitoring stations located strategically all over the country. The recently established station is located in Ibajay, Aklan. This station will significantly benefit not only the Province of Aklan but also the Panay Island and the whole country as well through increased detectability of events and more accurate and timely determination of earthquake parameters of events generated by active earthquake sources in and around the province. These parameters are important inputs for detailed delineation of earthquake hazards that could possibly affect the province and the island of Panay which then is used
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Earthquake News (M4+): Magnitude 5 Boac (Marinduque) 26 Feb 2018 - 05:39:16 PM

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF VOLCANOLOGY AND SEISMOLOGY  EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION NO. :  2  PHIVOLCS Bldg, C.P. Garcia Avenue, U.P.- Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES Tel.: 426-1468  Fax: 927-1087 Date/Time: 26 Feb 2018 - 05:39:16 PM Location: 13.34°N, 121.56°E - 032 km S 69° W of Boac (Marinduque) Depth of Focus (Km): 018 Origin: TECTONIC Magnitude: Ms 5.0 Description: EPICENTRAL MAP Reported Intensities: Intensity V - Boac, Marinduque Intensity IV - Batangas City Intensity III - Lipa City and Malvar, Batangas Instrumental Intensity: Intensity I - Guinayangan, Quezon and Tagaytay City Expecting Damage: NO Expecting Aftershocks: YES Issued On: 26 Feb 2018 - 06:35 PM Prepared by: GCP/AGSR/KLVR/MTM/LSV IMPORTANT  This will be the only bulletin issued unless additional information     becomes available
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First Step - Use the Power of Word-Of-Mouth

(Fourth of a Series) "Word-of-mouth is a force of nature." - John Cooper Clarke According to the Nielsen Global Trust In Advertising Survey, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends. Most buyers are faced with the dilemma of choosing the ideal seismic accelerograph when the need for them to buy comes. The strangeness and general lack of knowledge on the nature of the equipment itself poses as a brick wall as to where actually will they start their procurement process. The internet may be one immediate source that any buyer will readily think of. It will openly provide an immediate list of potential suppliers with their corresponding product features showcased. This will seem to be enough a source if you are only after contact details. The problem in search ranking is that it does not in any way guarantee the safest and wisest choice. In using the web search, the first in ranking may be the last, and the last in ranking may be the first in terms of pr
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