The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. vowed to continue efforts to prepare the Filipino people for strong earthquakes after the provinces of Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur were jolted over the weekend.
In an interview, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said that the recent earthquakes showed the importance of conducting drills and ensuring that the structures are earthquake-resilient.
“This should be a reminder for our kababayan that we should prepare for strong earthquake events and tsunami especially those facing the oceans: the Pacific Ocean, the Celebes Sea, Sulu Sea and the West Philippine Sea – all of these are prone to large earthquakes and tsunami,” Solidum said.
Solidum reminded the Filipino people to always be calm and always remember the proper way to respond during earthquake – duck, cover and hold – as he emphasized that their safety will depend on how they will react to the situation.
He added that the public should also use the “House App,” which can be downloaded on their smartphones to determine the integrity of their houses, or the building where they are mostly located prior to an earthquake.
“Definitely, the national government and the local government are doing their best to make our communities prepared as it is important that our own kababayan should know the right procedure because during an earthquake event, nakasalalay po ang buhay nila sa kanilang pagkilos,” he said.
“We have been preparing these communities facing the Pacific Ocean from the Visayas to Mindanao for a possibility of large earthquake and tsunami starting in 2005 up to recent years because we don’t exactly know when strong earthquakes and tsunami would occur,” he added.
Solidum assured the Filipino people that the government is ready to take immediate action during disasters.
Asked if there are technology investments that will protect the people from possible effects of earthquakes, Solidum said that they already have an improved earthquake monitoring system and have already installed sea level gauges that will determine tsunamis in the epicenter. | PND
