Batangas is a first-class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Geographically, Batangas is a combination an elevation of 600 meters, located in the middle of the Taal Lake. Other important peaks in Batangas include Mt. Makulot with an elevation of 830 m, Mt. Talamitan with 700 m, Mt. Pico de Loro with 664 m, Mt. Batulao with 811 m, Mt. Manabo with 830 m, and Mt. Daguldol with 672 m. The province has many beaches and is famous for its excellent diving spots. It has the second largest international seaport in the Philippines after Metro Manila. The identification of the city as an industrial growth center in the region and being the focal point of the CALABARZON program resulted in the increasing number of business nature of the province and its current development, the present study was envisioned to assess its preparation for any forms of an imminent natural disaster. In particular, the study assessed the usage of multi-hazard early warning systems in the province using survey interviews with various stakeholders. The results of the 30 survey interviews showed that there are a limited multi-hazard early warning systems in the province despite the fact that the majority of the participants have experienced natural disasters in their respective areas.
peer-reviewed