ILOILO – With the West Panay Fault cutting through several populous and rapidly developing towns and the nearby Negros Trench capable of generating an earthquake as powerful as magnitude 8.2, Iloilo is stepping up preparedness against a disaster that history has shown can strike with devastating force.
The Iloilo Provincial Government, through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), will conduct the third-quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds.
The exercise seeks to reinforce among Capitol employees, clients and the public the three basic life-saving actions during an earthquake – duck, cover and hold – while testing emergency response procedures.
“Let’s strengthen our preparedness and practice the 3 basic steps during an earthquake: duck, cover, and hold,” PDRRMO chief Cornelio Salinas said.
Preparations for the drill intensified Monday, Aug. 31, as Salinas joined PDRRMO Chief of Training and Administrative Division Dr. Alfonso R. Baldonado III, OIC Operations Division Everick Paul Bedonia, and personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Iloilo Province in conducting a walkthrough at the right wing of the Capitol building’s sixth floor.
The inspection was conducted in preparation for a Special Rescue Force scenario that will form part of the earthquake drill.
Salinas earlier warned that Panay Island is not immune from destructive earthquakes because of active seismic structures in and around the island, particularly the West Panay Fault and the Negros Trench.
The West Panay Fault is a roughly 90-kilometer fracture traversing Panay and cutting across some of Iloilo Province’s populated and fast-developing municipalities.
It runs through San Joaquin, Miag-ao, Igbaras, Tubungan, Leon, Alimodian, Janiuay and Lambunao before extending northward toward Tapaz in Capiz and Libacao in Aklan.
Its destructive potential is written into Panay’s history.
The fault was responsible for the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Panay Island on Jan. 25, 1948. Known as the “Lady Caycay” earthquake, the disaster killed at least 21 people and damaged 55 churches, 17 of which completely collapsed.
In Iloilo, belfries and stone churches in Jaro, San Joaquin and Arevalo were reduced to ruins. The powerful shaking also caused ground fissures, while waves surged along the Iloilo Strait.
Another major seismic threat is the Negros Trench, an active subduction zone west of Panay Island.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the trench is capable of generating earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.2.
Such an event could also trigger tsunamis threatening coastal communities in Panay and Negros, with waves potentially reaching the height of a three-story building and arriving as early as 15 minutes after the initial earthquake.
Salinas also cited the frequent occurrence of earthquakes in neighboring Antique, particularly in Anini-y and other municipalities in the province’s 1st District.
Against these risks, the Sept. 10 drill is intended to go beyond routine compliance by reinforcing instinctive earthquake response and testing whether government personnel are prepared to act when a real emergency leaves little time for hesitation./PN
