BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Municipality of Bontoc actively took part in the 2nd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) at 9:00 in the morning of June 19, 2025.
Employees and clients of the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) and national government agencies with offices located at the Bontoc Municipal Capitol, participated in the drill. Various public and private elementary and secondary schools across the municipality also joined the earthquake preparedness exercise.
During the drill, participants were evaluated based on their execution of six key steps in earthquake response: alarm, response, evacuation, assembly, headcount, and evaluation.
The drill commenced with the activation of an alarm, signalling the onset of an earthquake. This was followed by the response phase, where participants moved away from windows, glass, and lights and performed the “duck, cover, and hold” technique. Once the simulated shaking stopped, they proceeded to designated evacuation areas using predetermined routes. At the assembly points, headcounts were conducted to ensure accountability, followed by an evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the drill and identify areas for improvement.
A post-evaluation was conducted at the Bontoc Operations Center (OpCen) on the same day, during which evaluators provided feedback on thr execution the six phases by the participants.
The participating schools included the Bayyo Elementary School (Bayyo ES), Bontoc Central School, Caneo ES, Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School, Mountain Province SPED Center, Saint Vincent’s School (SVS)-Elementary Department, SVS-High School Department, Samoki ES, Talubin National High School (NHS) and Tocucan NHS.
In an interview, Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong Jr., who also chairs the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) emphasized the importance of the quarterly earthquake drills in enhancing public preparedness and responsiveness. He encouraged all sectors to take the activity seriously to ensure safety during real emergencies.
Likewise, on behalf of MDRRM Officer Johanna Padaen, LDRRM Officer III Henrietta Claire Lingbanan expressed her gratitude to the offices and agencies involved in assessing the drill, stating that their recommendations would be instrumental in improving the community’s earthquake preparedness.
Personnel from the Bontoc Municipal Fire Station, Bontoc Municipal Police Station (MPS), Bontoc LGU employees, members of the Bontoc Emergency Response Team, and Samoki Mountain Search and Rescue Team facilitated the drill.
The NSED is a regular initiative led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) with the Office of the Civil Defense taking the lead and implemented through local DRRM offices to foster a culture of disaster preparedness and resilience. By Alpine L. Killa-Malwagay
