ANTICIPATING IMPACT OF 7.6 TREMOR

ALARMED by the movement of the Manila Trench, a potentially dangerous earthquake fault west of Luzon on June 15 that triggered 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Calatagan, Batangas but only felt at Intensity 2 in Dagupan City, Mayor Belen Fernandez ordered the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to conduct tsunami drills in various barangays.

It is feared that when the Manila Trench unleashes from 7.0 to 7.6 magnitude earthquake, as already anticipated by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), it could trigger giant tsunamis that could reach Dagupan City, said Fernandez, in a talk to newsmen on Thursday (June 22).

However, she pointed out that CDRRMO, headed by Ronald de Guzman, has no funds for pre-disaster activities in view of the limitations under the reenacted budget after the annual budget of P1.3 billion was reduced to P864.93 million by the majority in the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), a budget declared “inoperative in its entirety” by the Department of Budget and Management on June 5.

“We want to make sure that when tsunami strikes our city, our barangay people will know what to do to save themselves,” Fernandez said.

The Fernandez administration just revived the program Privately-Hosted Evacuation Center, wherein owners of three-storey buildings or taller are encouraged to admit their neighbors inside their buildings for their safety.

However, only one of the five island barangays, Salapingao, has an evacuation center where the people can run to in case tsunami occurs. Fernandez built the Salapingao Evacuation Center during her previous term as Dagupan mayor.

Fernandez said she started building an evacuation center in Pugaro but when she lost in her reelection bid, her successor did not continue the project.

The proposed Pugaro Evacuation Center was intended to replace the aborted Tsunami Hill started by then Mayor Benjamin Lim, but which Fernandez did not continue upon the advice of Phivolcs. When tsunami hits, the tendency is for people to run away from the sea, not towards it. The Tsunami Hill was situated close to the sea.

Since the P1.3 billion annual budget she proposed to the SP was rejected by the majority in SP,  the mayor said the construction of an evacuation center in Bonuan Boquig cannot proceed. (Leonardo Micua)

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