An official of the Office of Civil Defense 11 (OCD 11) admitted on Monday that only a small chunk of the public are familiar with the safe way of evacuation particularly the “duck, cover and hold” safety reminder whenever there is an earthquake.
This is the reason why the OCD 11 has stressed that more drills are needed specifically in the community level.
OCD 11 director Liza Mazo said more knowledge, more information, and more practice on “duck, cover and hold” safety reminder is needed for the public following the series of earthquakes in Davao de Oro.
“Yes, definitely we need more drills. Gusto ko i-commend ang mga bata bright kaayo sila and they follow diligently. SIla yung mag duck, cover and hold kasi regular yung sa school while ang mga mama nagkaratol na ug dagan sa gawas. Sana sa house regular yung parents to join. We do that in the offices. Sa school puwede nila gawin more often than the quarterly kaya mas bright ang mga bata. Yung magpanic normal naman yun specially pag kulang tayo sa kaalaman. Pag hinay ang linog ayaw sa ug dagan,” Mazo said during Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday.
She added that there is a need to develop public awareness at the community level to equip the parents and the residents.
“Sa school okay na yan pero sa community bihira lang mag “duck, cover and hold” specially na naunahan tayo sa social media,” she said.
Mazo also said that what is read on social media, specifically unverified information, has added to the fear and panic among the public during earthquakes.
“Ang daming bright sa socmed like inland ang linog pero naay tsunami daw,” she said.
On March 9, 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. enjoined the entire nation in the face-to-face conduct of the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED).
The simultaneous drill comes after the announcement from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), asking the public to join the first quarter NSED.
The quarterly conduct of the nationwide earthquake drills each year is an effort of the government to promote disaster preparedness and resilience among Filipinos.
