Capitol joins nationwide earthquake drill
LINGAYEN—The provincial government of Pangasinan participated in the ceremonial launching of the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill conducted by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on June 10 at barangay San Vicente West, San Manuel.
Residents led by local officials dramatized an actual earthquake and flood scenario. Line agencies of the government were also seen as they quickly responded and transferred affected residents into elevated evacuation areas and gave them medical support and assistance.
The activity sought to intensify the local communities’ earthquake preparedness and strengthen the commitment of Local Government Units (LGUs) in building hazard-safe communities.
The drill, a full-scale exercise in partnership with the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC), also gauged the efficiency of warning dissemination and response of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and LGUs, and the level of preparedness of the communities surrounding the San Roque Dam, if an earthquake actually hits.
Organizers of the activity led by Director Melchito Castro of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Region 1 reiterated that the earthquake and flood drill was conducted not to misinform people that when an earthquake hits, the San Roque dam would break, but rather to prepare people on the case scenario.
“The activity also assessed the efficiency of coordination between and among SRPC, PDRRMC and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (MDRRMCs),” Undersecretary Eduardo Batac, representative of National Defense Secretary and NDRRMC Chairperson Voltaire Gazmin, added.
However, SRPC Vice President for Corporate and Social Responsibility Tommy Valdez assured that the San Roque dam can withstand a strong earthquake and a “dam break will never really happen.”
“It will take five factors when that happens: strong earthquake, failure sa design, tuloy-tuloy ang pag-ulan, punong-puno ang dam at walang operator,” he added.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Director Renato Solidum, on the other hand, gave some historical perspectives of earthquakes which happened in the province and provided some earthquake preparedness and mitigation procedures.
Towards the end, Solidum said two things are important for earthquake prevention: imposing the National Building Code and preparing people through disaster awareness.
PDRRMC Officer-in-Charge Fernando De Guzman represented Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. who is now on official leave for the medication of his mother in the United States.
“Maganda ang naging kooperasyon PDRRMC sa aktibidad na ito kung saan ipinakita ng PDRRMC ang pagtuon sa tuwing may nangyayaring kalamidad,” De Guzman said.
He added, “Sa programang ito nakita natin ang mga pwede nating ituro sa mga local DRRMCs”, even as he said that during the national disaster consciousness month, the PDRRMC will again conduct earthquake drills in earthquake-prone areas in the province.
Chief executive officers under the office of the national defense, Philippine Red Cross, Philippine Army, Education Sector and Municipal Mayors of some eastern Pangasinan towns led by host Mayor Jerico Alain Perez also graced the activity.
A post evaluation activity was conducted at the SRPC conference room where observations and recommendations given by the participants and evaluators were noted by the DRRMCs. (PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)
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