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Ilocos region to join national earthquake drill on June 22
DAGUPAN CITY, June 1 (PNA) -- The Ilocos region will join the whole nation in conducting earthquake drill on June 22 this year, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

OCD Regional Director Melchito Castro announced here that the earthquake drill will be joined by all officials and employees of local government units (LGUs), public and private schools and members of the communities.

Castro enjoined the LGUs in Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte to lead and coordinate the earthquake drill among their respective officials and employees to inform and prepare them on what to do to save themselves and their families in case a high magnitude earthquake strikes.

Castro spoke during the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) caravan for government information officers and the media in Pangasinan on Wednesday.

The DRRM Caravan was sponsored by OCD, in partnership with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in the Ilocos Region.

In that caravan, Castro said OCD recognizes the important role of media and information officers especially in times of disasters.

“Information is vital during disaster operations. Mahalaga ang mga reports na mula sa media at mga information officers para makapagbigay kami sa OCD ng tamang intervention during disasters,” Castro said.

The activity aims to uphold the connection of Regional DRRMC to media and to bridge the gap of information dissemination, he added.

“We must really work together for safer, adaptive and resilient Filipino communities towards sustainable development,” Castro said.

Castro clarified that the Regional DRRM Council does not only refer to OCD alone but to the entire council which has various line agencies as members. These member-agencies collate and verify information submitted by authorities before sending these to the national council and to the public.

“The report from RDRRMC is the official report that is why we do not release unverified reports,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mike Sabado, chief of operations of OCD-1, said reports, especially casualties and damages, should be verified and validated from all levels before it is released to the public.

“This is to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding. We also do not want to sow panic and confusion among the public,” he said.

The Pangasinan caravan is the second leg of such activity. The first was held in La Union on April 26. The third leg will be held in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur sometime this June. (PNA)
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