BE PREPARED. Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) officials and employees at GSIS Building in Pasay City join the 1st Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on March 9, 2023. The Department of National Defense (DND) on Sunday (Dec. 3) . urged the public to take the government's quarterly earthquake drills more seriously following the series of earthquakes that jolted parts of the country in recent weeks. (PNA file photo by Avito Dalan)
MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. urged the public to take the government's quarterly earthquake drills more seriously following the series of earthquakes that battered parts of Mindanao in recent days.
“Uulitin namin ang paalala sa aming mga kababayan at sa mga LGUs (local government units) na seryosohin ang mga earthquake precautions natin. Awa ng Diyos hindi malaki ang danyos na nangyari sa lindol na ito (We are reminding our countrymen and the LGUs to take seriously our earthquake precautions. Thank God, the damage for this earthquake is not that large)," the DND chief said in a statement Sunday night.
This came in the wake of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that jolted the province of Surigao del Sur late Saturday night.
Teodoro also commended the officials of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for their prompt response and for immediately activating the national response clusters.
The earthquake in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur claimed the life of a pregnant woman and injured four others. It has also affected 529 families or 2,647 persons.
Meanwhile, power supply has been restored in Davao City, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, and Hinatuan.
The OCD is closely coordinating with the NDRRMC and local disaster risk reduction and management offices for the latest updates on the strong Surigao earthquake, which occurred weeks after the magnitude 6.8 quake that rocked Sarangani, Davao Occidental.
The earthquake reportedly resulted in 11 deaths, according to official data from the NDRRMC, and left 37 others injured.
It also caused damage in areas across the Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and other parts of Mindanao.
Last month, OCD administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno directed civil defense officials to enhance earthquake preparedness measures.
Meanwhile, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. has directed the agency's regional and field offices to immediately activate their respective disaster reporting and monitoring system following Saturday night's tremor.
"On instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., we have also mobilized our ground assets, especially the engineering team of the Bureau of Fire Protection to conduct damage assessments and extend all necessary assistance to the affected families," he added. (with reports from Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
