Jan Vincent Lanuza, News, Communication Management Office
Pamantasang Una sa Paghahanda.
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines, led by the Disaster Resilience Institute (DRI), held the 2024 Third Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) to ingrain the significance of disaster preparedness and awareness. It was held on the entire PUP System today, September 26, 9AM.
Also meant to fortify their defenses for the possible “Big One,” a potential magnitude 7.2 earthquake that may occur in the West Valley Fault which covers Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon, students, faculty, and administrative staff from various PUP campuses have actively participated in the Duck, Cover, and Hold exercise as they go to their designated evacuation area while the University’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Focal Persons facilitated the proceedings and conducted mock inspection in buildings and facilities.
Associate Professor Christo Rey S. Albason, Student Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator of the Office of Student Services (OSS), stated in his “Mensahe ng Katatagan” that while disasters are uncontrollable, there are still ways to ensure our survival. Through this activity, he said, we can minimize the damages it may cause.
“Ang mga ganitong gawain ay isa sa makakapagbigay ng kaalaman at kasanayan sa paghahanda upang mas maging malay tayo sa posibilidad ng sitwasyon.”
(These kinds of activities are one of those that can provide knowledge and skills in preparation, allowing us to become more aware of possible situations)
Zuriel D. Aguilar, PUP Red Cross Youth Council Adviser, in his “Mensahe ng Pagpapatuloy”, has reintroduced the Philippine Red Cross’s 4P’s of emergency response that are crucial in the face of calamity—Predict (bracing for impending dangers), Plan (creating a comprehensive action for possible disasters), Prepare (readying for possible dangers brought by disasters), and Practice (regularly partaking in disaster awareness event such as the NSED).
University employees noted the significance of this occasion in ensuring that the PUP Community is disaster-ready and equipped with the knowledge necessary for their survival. Assistant Professor Leomar P. Requejo, DRI’s Forecasting, Early Warning and Dissemination Section and the University Safety Officer, shared that it also helps in turning disaster awareness into a university culture.
“Sa earthquake we cannot predict kung kailan siya mangyayari, kung gaano siya kalakas, or kung ano ang scale ng damage nito. What we can do is prepare for it, i-practice kung ano ang gagawin, i-practice ang execution ng mangyayari. Kasi sa pamamagitan noon, mas masesecure natin na ang community natin ay alam nila ang gagawin nila. Male-lessen natin ang possibility na may mangyayaring masama,” he added.
(In an earthquake, we cannot predict when it will happen, how strong it will be, or the scale of its damage. What we can do is prepare for it, practice what needs to be done, and rehearse how things may unfold. Because through that, we can better ensure that our community knows what to do. We can lessen the possibility of something bad happening.)
Requejo’s sentiments were similarly echoed by his fellow employees. Christian Domingo from Central Records Office (CRO) uttered “Para maging aware tayong lahat sa kung sakaling dumating ang sakuna, alam na natin ang mga gagawin natin. Maiiwasan natin ang mga aksidente.” Meanwhile, Cyel Amatorio of the Gender and Development Office (GADO) mentioned “Participating in safety procedures such as the quarterly nationwide earthquake drill helps the PUP community to prepare for an emergency. It familiarizes everyone with the procedures and protocols, while also practising their quick response.”
(So that we can all be aware, in case a disaster strikes, we will already know what to do. We can avoid accidents.)
The Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) is a quarterly program piloted by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to help promote and earthquake readiness and disaster response local government units, offices, and schools.
[Note: All English translations are generated from ChatGPT 3.5/4]
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