ABS-CBN TVplus partnered with the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) and the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (MMDRRC) for the third straight year and participated in the MMDA shake drill that allowed three million homes with ABS-CBN TVplus to experience its built-in emergency warning broadcast system (EWBS).
During the drill, the EWBS issued an alert on television sets connected to switched-on ABS-CBN TVplus units as it reminded users to “duck, cover, and hold.”
“Disaster preparedness is essential for every Filipino family this is why we take part every year in MMDA’s shake drill. With the EWBS feature of ABS-CBN TVplus, TVplus users who were watching TV last Friday received an automatic message that popped on their screen with proper instructions on what to do during an earthquake,” Chinky Alcedo, head of ABS-CBN Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) said.
Launched in the same year ABS-CBN TVplus was introduced, the EWBS feature of ABS-CBN TVplus forms part of its public service and is the first and only technology of its kind in the Philippines that warns and reminds the public to duck, head for cover and hold. The EWBS is also a technology available through the ISDBT, which is the standard chosen by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
ABS-CBN TVplus helped address the safety of many Filipinos who have grown wary as a series of tremors rocked the country recently.
ABS-CBN TVplus also adds to the growing list of digital properties of ABS-CBN, the country’s leading media and entertainment organization that is now rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, with the biggest online presence among all media companies.
“Majority of Filipinos still rely on television for news and information this is why TV is still the powerful medium for information dissemination. Since the EWBS is a built-in feature of the ABS-CBN TVplus, our Kapamilyas who are watching TV will be alerted and given safety precautions when natural calamities like earthquakes strike that will definitely help save lives,” Chinky elaborated.
The emergency warning can be triggered by the designated government agency in times of calamity and the warning message will flash on the TV screens of ABS-CBN TVplus box users who are watching ABS-CBN, S+A, CineMo, YeY, Knowledge Channel, and DZMM TeleRadyo.
ABS-CBN is the first media and entertainment company in the Philippines to make the historic switch from analog to digital terrestrial television in 2015 to transform the TV viewing experience of Filipinos. Using digital signal transmission, ABS-CBN TVplus makes TV viewing dramatically crystal clear. Besides exclusive channels, it can also capture and broadcast channels that transmit in digital and is offered for a one-time payment fee.
