Defense Secretary and concurrent National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has directed the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs), to conduct regular preparedness drills, infrastructure audits, and retrofitting measures.
In a memorandum order, Teodoro also called for the integration of earthquake resilience measures into planning and enhancement of public information efforts, including misinformation and disinformation control measures.
Memorandum No. 279, dated Oct. 15, 2025, issued following a series of recent earthquakes, enjoined all local government units (LGUs) to strengthen earthquake risk reduction plans.
Teodoro enjoined all LGUs to immediately intensify earthquake risk reduction measures while ensuring public service continuity by focusing on strengthening family, community, and school preparedness to create a culture of safety.
Teodoro also aimed to prevent the spread of unverified information that may cause unnecessary public panic; conduct comprehensive infrastructure audits and assessments; prioritize and implement retrofitting or temporary risk-reduction actions for critical facilities, and identify temporary alternate service facilities, as needed; and ensure that regular projects and activities related to earthquakes are programmed and implemented.
RDRRMCs, chaired by OCD regional directors, are tasked with coordinating these activities and ensuring that they are cascaded. They will also assess the performance of LGU Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) offices, in coordination with the OCD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and provide performance evaluations to both agencies.
Teodoro also directed the RDRRMCs to consult with the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the OCD for technical support.
Earlier this month, during a National Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell (NIACC) meeting, Teodoro instructed a review of local contingency plans to ensure that all established disaster protocols of LGUs within their area of responsibility are validated and up-to-date.
As executive arm of the NDRRMC and head of the RDRRMCs, the OCD continues to collaborate with various agencies and LGUs to enhance the country’s disaster preparedness amid the ongoing threats of natural hazards and disasters.
