AN OFFICIAL from the Office of the Civil Defense-Davao Region (OCD-Davao) bared that the first quarter National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED), scheduled for March 25, 2024, will primarily focus on the readiness of schools in the region.
Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of OCD-Davao, said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw, on Monday morning, March 18, 2024, at SM City Davao, that based on their data, schools house the largest population in one area.
Dayanghirang said that they will work closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for public schools and state colleges or universities, while the private sector will engage with them individually.
He announced plans to conduct a pilot earthquake drill at Rizal Memorial Colleges, with subsequent replication in other schools following the assessment.
“We started with RMC, and this would be followed by other universities in the region. Trial ito (This is a trial) on our part to how we can engage with the private schools in helping them prepare for a massive earthquake affecting populations," he said.
Eric V. Codog, manager of RMC, said that their school was chosen for the pilot testing because it is compliant with all the regulations; hence, it was chosen by the OCD.
“We are ready to accept those challenges and RMC is doing everything to safeguard all the students. Itong drill na to at pagpili ng OCD sa amin ay isang magandang pagdating sa amin na event [This drill and OCD choosing us a good event for us]. So we will do our best,” he said.
Dayanghirang noted issuing memorandums to 44 national agencies and 54 local government units (LGUs), including the region's five provinces.
Additionally, the office is gearing communities not just for earthquakes but also for other calamities like fires, landslides, and floods, adopting a sectoral approach to intervention.
“We are doing that as a matter of strategy for all hazards dili lang ang [not only] earthquakes,” Dayanghirang said, urging communities not to solely rely on government-initiated drills but to proactively prepare for various hazards they might encounter. RGP