LAOAG CITY—Employees of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte participated in the “duck, cover and hold” exercise on Thursday morning for the third quarter nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill (NSED).
Led by the Provincial Board member Mariano Marcos II in his capacity as chairperson of the committee on provincial resiliency of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, all employees were instructed to move out of the building upon hearing the sound of the siren, which lasted for about 30 seconds.
During the drill, Marcos reminded employees to take the activity seriously.
On the same day, Marcell Tabije, spokesperson of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said all local government units from the 21 towns and two cities of the province were also encouraged to join the drill amidst the continuing threat of southwest monsoon, or Habagat.
By enjoining all concerned stakeholders to participate in the drill, Tabije expressed hopes the nationwide activity would further strengthen disaster preparedness in case an earthquake occur and to determine the needs to be improved.
Initially, Laoag was chosen as the national pilot area for the Aug. 16 earthquake drill but for some reasons, it was moved to the heritage city of Vigan.
According to Director Melchito M. Castro of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Region 1, also the chairman of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-1), the drill was set at 2:00 p.m. at the historic Plaza Burgos.
Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, OCD administrator and executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), will lead the opening ceremony of the drill.
“The NSED is a continuing drill and exercise to raise awareness on the importance of preparedness to anticipate the possible occurrence of a 7.2 magnitude quake at the Manila trench in which the Ilocos province is affected,” said Castro.
He added, “The conduct of the NSED aims to promote disaster preparedness through public participation to further mitigate the effects of an earthquake.”
Another highlight of the 3rd quarter NSED is the formal inauguration of the newly-built regional evacuation center in Barangay Ayusan Sur, Vigan City. Worth PHP36 million, the building can accommodate at least 300 evacuees. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
