The National Anti-Poverty Commission supported the planned earthquake preparedness drill in Metro Manila as it urged the government to give special attention to the poor, particularly the informal settlers and those living in congested areas, since they are the most vulnerable during disasters.
“The country is not yet ready for a possible 7.2 magnitude earthquake,” says Regina Salvador-Antequisa, sectoral representative of the NAPC Victims of Disasters and Calamities Council.
Antequisa said the council is supporting the July 30 metrowide earthquake drill initiated by the Metro Manila Development Authority, but she said, the government must ensure that residents are equipped with quake survival methods and skills should the “Big One” hit the country, particularly Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“Should a Nepal- or Bohol-like earthquake occur in Metro Manila, high-rise buildings and homes will be destroyed and hundreds of lives will be lost. The metropolis will be reduced to rubble,” Antequisa said.
The council stressed that a lot of preparation needs to be done now that several warnings of an impending strong tremor have been made.
“The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s Valley Fault System Atlas revealed that a possible 7.2 magnitude earthquake could hit Metro Manila anytime. There are also international studies that cited Metro Manila as one of the most at-risk cities in the world due to its high-vulnerability to natural disasters, especially to earthquakes,” Antequisa explained.
“Long-term preparedness should be ensured. Buildings should be made resilient. The National Building Code must be reviewed and proper and participatory land-use planning must be implemented,” Antequisa added.
The council also emphasized that special attention should be given to the poor and the marginalized because of their vulnerability to disasters.
It recommends the following actions:
– Government must boost risk reduction efforts to reduce possible casualties and damage.
– Evacuation centers, disaster teams, and other necessary equipment must be ready.
– Trainings must be held in communities especially in high-risk areas.
– Include vulnerable sectors in the planning, budgeting, and monitoring of disaster risk reduction and management activities.
Last Monday, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino met representatives of several business organizations who agreed with the agency to conduct the one-hour drill, which will start at exactly 10:30 a.m.
The MMDA urged the business sector to have a quick recovery plan as part of the preparations.
Tolentino also called on the public to have a resiliency mindset as he stressed the importance of fast recovery especially in the business sector from the effects of an earthquake.
“We should have a mindset for resiliency. What we are trying to have with the business sector is to have a quick recovery because Metro Manila accounts for 39 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product and is the economic center of the Philippines so we must have quick recovery plans,” said Tolentino.
He also encouraged the business sector to put up alternate corporate headquarters in areas that will not be greatly affected by the calamity to ensure the continuity of their operations.
“Beyond our July 30 drill is the challenge for us to have our own individual recovery plan and I refer to households, barangays, businesses, private establishments, churches, schools and other entities. We must also exert the needed efforts to retrofit our houses so as not to endanger ourselves when the earthquake occurs,” the MMDA chief said.