PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday joined an earthquake drill at the Palace attended by members of the Office of the President and other Malacañang staff.
The drill was part of simultaneous exercises held nationwide, aimed at educating the public on what to do during strong tremors. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council led the first quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill which aims to prepare the public for earthquakes in.
The President, sporting a white hard hat, went out of the Palace during a pretend magnitude 7.2 earthquake at 2 p.m., and stayed at the Malacañang garden for several minutes along with Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, and other employees from the OP and offices in the Palace complex.
The drill participants performed the “duck, cover and hold” steps which involves ducking down to the floor, taking cover under a sturdy table or desk, and holding the position until the shaking stops.
The drill, aside from preparing the public, also aims to test the capability of government agencies to respond to the impacts of a devastating earthquake, and the effectiveness of contingency plans during strong tremors, especially in the Greater Metro Manila.
The Department of Education (DepEd) told public schools to conduct “unannounced” earthquake and fire drills, every first and third week of the month, to test their response and evacuation plans.
Private schools, community learning centers, and even state and local universities and colleges are also encouraged to adopt drills, it said.
“Together, let us keep our learners, personnel, and schools safe from the harms of fire, earthquakes, and other calamities through effective preparation and simulation exercises,” the DepEd added.
DAVAO QUAKES
The 5.9 magnitude earthquakes that hit Davao de Oro last Tuesday has injured at least 60 people and displaced 1,800 families, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.
During the “Laging Handa” public briefing, OCD Joint Information Center chief Diego Mariano said some 2,900 families were affected, including 1,800 families staying in evacuation centers.
“Also, we have more than 60 people who were injured due to the earthquake,” he said.
Mariano said concerned agencies have distributed P6.2 million worth of assistance to the affected population. The assistance, he said, included family food packs, tents and sleeping kits.
Mariano said eight roads in Davao de Oro were damaged and declared not passable to vehicles.
He said power interruptions were also reported after the quake. “The good thing is it’s already restored, there is already power in Davao de Oro,” said Mariano.
The first 5.9 magnitude quake, of tectonic in origin, occurred at 2:02 pm last Tuesday with the epicenter located some 8 km southeast of New Bataan town, the Philippine institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Phivolcs said another 5.9 quake occurred at 4:47 p.m. on the same day, with the epicenter located some 33 km southwest of New Bataan. Phivolcs later downgraded it to a magnitude 5.6 quake. — With Ashzel Hachero and Victor Reyes
