Cebu City to join #MMShakeDrill on June 22

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) of Cebu urged all private and public institutions in Cebu City to join the nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill on Wednesday, June 22.

Responding to the call of the National Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to test the preparedness of local government units in a complex emergency, Cebu PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo said that their office will conduct a meeting to plan the steps and proper procedures in relation to the simultaneous earthquake drill. 

“Ako lang jud gihangyo na dili lang mag duwa-duwa or mag yama-yama sa drill. Let us take the drill seriously,” Tribunalo said. (All I’m asking is, people must not joke or play around during the drill. Let us take the drill seriously.)

Dubbed on social media as #MMShakeDrill, the Metro Manila ShakeDrill happening on Wednesday, June 22, will test the response plans of government agencies, the private sector, households, and individuals in the Metro.

The #MMShakeDrill also tests the functionality of Oplan Metro Yakal Plus – the government’s response plan for a major earthquake affecting the Greater Metro Manila area. 

While the earthquake drill aims to simulate the possible scenarios of the movement of the West Valley Fault in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Cebu province is not exempted from the threat of an imminent earthquake. The country is located along the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, a 40,000 km circle of interconnected fault lines around the Pacific Ocean, where other seismic activities such as earthquakes occur on a daily basis.

In 2013, a shallow magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Central Visayas, killing at least 15 people in Cebu, 4 in Bohol, and one in Siquijor. The earthquake damaged several properties – including historic structures – across the region. 

This is one of the many reasons why Tribunalo emphasized that local government units should work together in preparing for earthquakes and other disaster scenarios. 

“The preparation must be institutional. The local government must be the first to prepare. Yes, the council of local disaster risk reduction unit will initiate but the local units must also be prepared. It is everybody’s business,” Tribunalo told Rappler.

“Maghimo silag worst case scenarios, pananglitan naay earthquake naay building na collapse, sunog, or while nag responde naay stampede mao nay planohon before June 22,” Tribunalo said. 

(They must initiate worse case scenarios. For example, if an earthquake happens and a building collapses or if a fire occurs and while responding a stampede happens. It has to be planned before June 22.)

The disaster chief also said that Governor Hilario Davide III is expected to pass an advisory enforcing participation from accross the province.

Earthquake preparednes, the local disaster management chief said, should not end when the earthquake drill wraps up. After the drill, Tribunalo emphasized that participants must also conduct an evaluation about the strengths and weaknesses of their response plans.  – Chainne Cadeliña/Rappler.com

The Metro Manila ShakeDrill is the largest metro-wide earthquake drill to be held on June 22, 2016 at 9:00 AM. Join the drill and volunteer today!

Chainne Cadeliña is a Rappler intern based in Cebu.