Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology 5.62

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology abbreviated as PHIVOLCS) is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, as well as other specialized information and services primarily for the protection of life and property and in support of economic, productivity, and sustainable development. It is one of the service agencies of the Department of Science and Technology.PHIVOLCS monitors volcano, earthquake, and tsunami activity, and issues warnings as necessary. It is mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from such volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other related geotectonic phenomena.HistoryThis government organization was formed after a historical merging of official functions of government institutions.One of its first predecessors is the Philippine Weather Bureau created in 1901 when meteorological, seismological and terrestiial magnetic services of the Manila Observatory were transferred from the Roman Catholic Church to the American Colonial Government. It performed earthquake monitoring in the country and has inherited and maintained the early earthquake catalogue at that time. By 1972, the Philippine Weather Bureau was reorganized under Presidential Decree No. 78 into the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). A UNDP-funded project for PAGASA established a twelve-station earthquake monitoring network in the country.