Capitol sets earthquake drill, wants all LGUs to participate

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/03/23/capitol-sets-earthquake-drill-wants-all-lgus-participate-464236
• Wednesday, March 23, 2016

By Oscar C. Pineda

ALL offices under the Provincial Government will hold an earthquake drill on March 31 to make sure that provincial workers know what to do when one happens.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Baltazar Tribunalo urged all local government units in the province to participate.

“Magpractice gyud ang mga tawo kabahin sa pagpangandam sa wala pa, sa nahitabo na, ug pagkahuman sa linog, nationwide (The people should practice what to do to before the earthquake, during and after an earthquake),” Tribunalo said, adding that the drill is a nationwide activity initiated by the Office of Civil Defense.

All institutions, both public and private, should hold their respective earthquake drill, Tribunalo said during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) meeting last Tuesday.

He said that since March 31 falls on a Thursday, schools should also participate.

Immediately after the drill, Tribunalo said they will assess the response of the different offices to determine what needs improvement.

He recalled that when an earthquake drill was held in 2014, not all officials and employees of the Province joined the activity.

In 2015, more offices joined, with about 90 percent of the workers participating in the drill. He said the remaining 10 percent did not join for different reasons, including some who preferred to stay inside their office because they were not feeling well.

“Bisan unsay imong gibati, tinud-on gyud ni nato (No matter how you’re feeling, we will take this drill seriously),” he said.

The last time an earthquake drill was held in Capitol was in July last year.

That time, the PDRRMO observed that employees were just walking around casually while others remained standing, which disaster officials said is not the appropriate response during an emergency.

Tribunalo said the participants should take the earthquake drill seriously, and should walk cautiously, duck under a table or chair and cover their heads.