SIX students fainted during the 2nd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) at the Benguet National High School on Thursday, June 21.

Earthquake drill pilot team leader, La Trinidad Fire Department Senior Inspector Francisco Copes said the students and teachers actively participated in the drill.

BNHS is the biggest public school in the region, with a population of 3,800.

Ivy Frances Caransi, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) -Cordillera information officer said the NSED tests the capabilities and capacity of the public to cope with disasters.

Caransi said geologists have declared 90 percent of the region as landslide prone.

“We have to maximize the open area as evacuation sites,” she said.

Department of Education (DepEd) Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management coordinator Evangeline Maslag said student orientation is important before conducting actual drills.

Disaster risk reduction and management is integrated in the DepEd curriculum to prepare students to be aware for fire and earthquake situations.

NSED is spearheaded by the Kabalikat Award Center Chapter with Cordillera Risk Reduction and Management Council, Office of the Civil Defense- Cordillera, DepEd, Benguet Fire Protection and Benguet National High School.

The basic duck-cover-hold was implemented during the simultaneous earthquake drills followed by simulation exercises. (With a report from Kaizzer Ponce, UP Baguio Intern)