NDCC holds national earthquake drill

By Ronron
February 7, 2007

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is initiating today (Thursday) another nationwide earthquake drill, the center of which will be at the Dolores Elementary School in San Fernando City, Pampanga.

In a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo, NDCC Executive Officer Glenn Rabonza (retired Maj. Gen. from the Armed Forces of the Philippines) said the activity, which intends to involve all elementary schools all over the country, will start at 9am.

Rabonza said leading the event at the Dolores Elementary School is newly-installed Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr., and other top officials of the NDCC-attached agencies and local government officials.

Dr. Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), said in the same news conference that the drill is important to keep elementary pupils prepared and alert when the calamity strikes.

He noted that in the past 400 years, about 90 destructive earthquakes were already felt all over the world. And in the Philippines, 16 earthquakes were already felt from January 1st until yesterday.

Solidum disclosed also that the entire archipelago, except Palawan, is prone to quakes.

“We want our preparedness to reach down the younger population,” Defense Undersecretary and spokesman Ernesto Carolina said in the same briefing when asked why the elementary schools is the target this time.

Rabonza pointed out that the last two national simultaneous earthquake drills held in June and September last year in Marikina City and Manila City, respectively were conducted in high schools.

And he said that based on those exercises, students were found to be prepared for earthquakes.

“We conducted trainings sessions for schools. And we gave them primers on how to conduct earthquake drills in schools,” explained Rabonza.

“We would like to have more participants for this (third) earthquake drill… Ideally, we really want all schools to participate,” he added.

He disclosed that because of the “overwhelming success” of the first two nationwide earthquake drills, the activity will now be conducted regularly on a quarterly basis, nationwide, with the participation of private and public schools, to include government offices./DMS