ANTIQUE — The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has urged the public to take earthquake drills seriously as Antique remains vulnerable to seismic activity, following the successful conduct of the second-quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, June 18 .
A total of 469 participants joined the province-wide exercise, including 231 employees of the Provincial Government of Antique, 228 personnel from the Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO), and 10 members of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Broderick Train said earthquake drills should not be treated merely as routine activities but as essential preparedness measures that could save lives during actual emergencies.
“Kung hindi naton pagseryoshon, tama gid kabahol ang consequence na kara. May posibilidad nga may kaswalidad—ikamatay naton or ika-injured naton. Amo ra e seryoshon naton ang drills nga dya hay ang mga halit wara ti ginapili,” Train said.
He noted that the activity was conducted in compliance with a memorandum issued by Gov. Paolo Javier directing all provincial government offices to actively participate in disaster preparedness initiatives. The drill also supports the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDRRMC) continuing campaign to strengthen public awareness and emergency response capabilities.
Despite the short notice given to participating offices, Train described the exercise as successful, citing the active participation of government employees and emergency responders.
The drill also enabled disaster management personnel to identify areas for improvement, particularly in evacuation procedures and the orderly movement of people from hazardous areas to designated safe zones.
Train said these observations would help enhance future earthquake drills and strengthen the province’s emergency response system.
He also underscored the importance of ensuring the structural safety of buildings, especially high-rise and heavily populated establishments such as shopping malls and transport terminals. Local disaster risk reduction offices, he said, have been encouraged to maintain updated inventories of buildings and coordinate with establishment owners to ensure the presence of in-house disaster response teams.
“Kabay pa nga ma-institutionalize dya nga drill kag maging kultura kang aton mga empleyado kag aton nga mga pumuluyo para malikawan ang malain nga epekto kang linog, especially nga ang Antique susceptible sa linog,” Train said.
The quarterly earthquake drill forms part of the government’s continuing efforts to build a culture of disaster preparedness and resilience against natural hazards across Antique./PN
