NDRRMC holds third quarter quake drill

September 27, 2017

The National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) led the third quarter nationwide earthquake drill on Wednesday afternoon. According to Romina Marasigan, NDRRMC spokesperson, based on initial estimate there were around 171,553 persons who participated. The participants include student, teachers, personnel of government and private office nationwide. Marasigan said the exercise that was done at the ceremonial venue at Strike Gymnasium in Bacoor City, Cavite was led by Civil Veterans and Retiree Affairs Usec Ernesto Carolina, Climate Change Usec Renato U Solidum, OCD CALABARZON Regional Director Olivia Luces, Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla and Vice-Governor Ramon Jolo B Revilla III and Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado Revilla. They also joined the ceremonial pressing of the button which signaled the start of the nationwide earthquake drill around 2 pm. “Officials, actors, responders and guests at the ceremonial venue performed the duck,cover and hold as an initial reaction from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake generated by the West Valley Fault,”  she said. Marasigan said during the drill four local government units in Cavite portrayed a total of 18 scenarios to showcase the response capacities of the province. “Some of the scenarios were Emergency Medical Response (EMR), Search Rescue and Retrieval (SRR), Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM), chemical decontamination, fire suppression, and camp coordination and management,” she said. “Also, part of the earthquake drill was the setting up of an Emergency Operations Center, Incident Command Post and conduct of Rapid Damage Assessement and Need Analysis,” she added. Marasigan said aside from the enhancement of the community preparedness the earthquake drill " seeks to test the interoperability of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Councils from the national down to the municipal level.” Robina Asido/DMS