CALAMBA CITY, July 14 -- Laguna Gov. Sol Aragones announced Tuesday the construction of a new command center this year, aided by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, to boost disaster preparedness, emergency response and public safety across the province.

"It's important that we are prepared in any disaster, and at the end of the day, the lives of our people depend on this," the governor said in Filipino in her Facebook livestream.

She noted that construction will begin before the end of the year, with the center expected to enable faster, more coordinated action during crises once operational.

Meanwhile, Provincial Information Officer Danilo Lucas, in a news release Tuesday, said the Laguna Command Center will use AI-powered close...