NINETEEN minutes. That was all it took for the Iloilo Provincial Capitol to complete its fourth-quarter earthquake drill yesterday, setting a record. Even more impressive, emergency responders rescued three simulated casualties in just seven minutes. These demonstrate what discipline, coordination and sustained preparedness training can accomplish.
But while the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has every reason to celebrate, the achievement carries an equally important reminder: Earthquakes do not follow scripts, and disasters do not respect records.
Yesterday’s successful exercise, which simulated a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, an aftershock, trapped casualties and a fire, showed that Capitol employees have become increasingly familiar with emergency procedures. PDRRMO officer-in-charge Dr. Alfonso Baldonado III rightly attributed this efficiency to quarterly drills that have made disaster response almost second nature.
This is precisely what disaster preparedness should accomplish. When the ground begins shaking, there is little time for confusion, hesitation or lengthy instructions. People must instinctively know what to do, where to go and how to protect themselves. In emergencies, familiarity with safety procedures can mean the difference between survival and tragedy.
Yet we must resist the temptation to equate speed with absolute readiness.
A simulated earthquake is conducted under controlled conditions. Participants know an exercise is taking place. Responders are positioned, equipment is prepared and evacuation routes are identified. A real earthquake offers none of these conveniences. It can strike without warning, trigger panic, damage stairways, disrupt communications and leave rescuers themselves injured or trapped.
What happens when evacuation routes are blocked by debris? When electricity fails? When hundreds of frightened employees and visitors rush toward the exits? When multiple casualties require immediate attention and rescue teams cannot reach them? These are the questions that should define the next phase of Iloilo’s disaster preparedness efforts.
Disaster preparedness must be designed primarily around the most vulnerable — senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, children and ordinary citizens unfamiliar with the Capitol’s emergency exits.
A disaster response system is only as effective as its ability to protect those least capable of protecting themselves.
More importantly, the lessons from the Capitol must extend beyond government offices. Schools, hospitals, public markets, shopping centers and densely populated communities should demonstrate the same commitment to regular, realistic and rigorously evaluated earthquake drills.
Preparedness must be a continuing investment in public safety, supported by reliable equipment, trained personnel, structural assessments and clearly established emergency protocols. The ultimate measure of disaster preparedness is how effectively lives can be protected when an actual catastrophe strikes.
Let the 19-minute record serve not as the finish line of preparedness, but as the starting point for even tougher standards.
For when the earth finally shakes with destructive force, nobody will care how many records were broken during rehearsals.
What will matter is how many lives were saved.
