CEBU CITY -- More than 4,000 pupils and teachers from Lahug Elementary School participated in the third quarter nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill, which was spearheaded by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Central Visayas.

Various uniformed and civilian agencies coming from the national and local government, namely, OCD, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Cebu City Government, and Cebu City Transportation Office, among others, served as evaluators during the drill, which was done simultaneously with other regions nationwide.

A one-minute emergency alarm went off at 9 a.m. at the Lahug Elementary School, which was identified as the pilot area of Central Visayas, to signal the start of the drill, where pupils and teachers executed the duck, cover and hold.

The entire drill was purely to test the evacuation scheme of the school and to determine how prepared it is should a strong earthquake hit Cebu, given its huge population.

The drill was completed in two hours, as after the evacuation and headcount was conducted, an evaluation was held to assess the drill. (Tashuana Alemania/OCD Central Visayas)