Lingayen – In support of the 3rd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) joined the Office of Civil Defense-Region 1 (OCD-R1) in staging its pilot simulation at the Urdaneta City University (UCU) in San Vicente West, Urdaneta City last September 28.
At the post-drill evaluation, PDRRMC Executive Officer Rhodyn Luchinvar Oro re-echoed Governor Amado “Pogi” I. Espino’s message to Pangasinenses that the shake drill is part of the provincial chief executive’s vision to instill among them that the sure way to achieve resilience in times of disaster is to foster “safety in unity”.
“When we talk about disasters, we must involve all individuals and families. They are the ones who will be first affected by disasters,” he added.
Oro, who also serves as the Pangasinan Disaster Risk Reduction Management Federation (PDRRMF) president, challenged the citizenry to take part in the upcoming simulations to learn and develop as second nature self-reliance in advent of disasters.
He also quoted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology which reported the impending danger affecting the province being sandwiched between the Manila Trench in the west and the San Manuel and Tubao faults in the east.
With the provincial government continuing efforts in rendering Pangasinan resilient amid the hazard threats, Oro noted the introduction of the Rapid Earthquake Disaster Assessment System (REDAS) software in Pangasinan last month – making the province the very first to utilize the tool in the region.
PDRRMC had staged a fire drill at the Pangasinan State University-Lingayen Campus last week and is set to hold a tsunami preparedness drill this late October.
Other venues of the shake drill where PDRRMC fielded evaluators were: the Jesus Good Shepherd Development Center and the Department of Public Works and Highways-Pangasinan Office in Lingayen.
The office will again assess another earthquake simulation at the Municipal Hall of Mangatarem on Sept. 30.
With the rooms for improvement and strengths noted during the post-drill evaluation, Oro said that the council will follow up application of the agencies involved in their respective simulations in the next quarter.
OCD-R1 Director Melchito Castro said that the Hashtag Pagyanig (or tremor in English), stylized as #Pagyanig simulation was done not only in the university but in various areas all over the country to prepare the populace for the “the new normal” or the extreme magnitude of calamities that has and could hit the country.
Among the participating agencies in the drill are: Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Army, Philippine National Red Cross-Pangasinan Chapter, Philippine Coast Guard and Urdaneta City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
/RMCL