MANILA, Philippines ? Disaster officials on Friday claimed preparations to make Metro Manila ?seismologically sound? are in progress.

The enormity of the suffering in quake-devastated Haiti has highlighted the similar risks faced by Metro Manila should the ?Big One? happen here, as the experts have been predicting.

The preparations are being made on many levels, starting with building up the capacity of local government units ?because they are the ones who are first to respond to a disaster,? said Glenn Rabonza, executive director of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

According to Rabonza, one of the measures being undertaken was the ?pre-positioning? of metal containers holding various rescue equipment under bridges across the capital by the Metro Manila Development Authority.

?Most of these earthquake disaster equipment are used for digging people out of collapsed structures,? he said.

Placing rescue equipment under every Metro Manila bridge would ensure unhampered rescue operations in case bridges cave in and debris block major road links, Rabonza said.

?We wouldn?t have to waste time waiting for rescuers transporting equipment from one place to another,? he said.

LGU training

While the acquisition of the necessary rescue equipment has yet to be completed, Rabonza said there are continuing efforts to improve the ability of local government units to respond to disasters, including the training of rescuers.

?The Haiti experience somehow prods us again to prepare, especially the local governments because they are the first responders,? he said.

He noted that the NDCC and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently organized ?one of the biggest? earthquake response simulation exercises involving countries in the Asia-Pacific at the Subic Freeport.

The exercise aimed at familiarizing key government agencies with disaster response mechanisms and tools, cluster coordination mechanisms in a destructive earthquake scenario and test the government?s policies and protocols on international humanitarian assistance, among others.

Prescriptions for Metro

Rabonza said the repair and retrofitting of old bridges and roads have also started in Metro Manila. This was one of the prescriptions of the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The MMEIRS, conducted from 2002 to 2004, predicted that if a 7.2-magnitude quake were to hit Metro Manila, it could kill up to 33,000 people and injure 114,000, if no adequate preparations are made.

Earthquake drills in schools and public and private offices are strictly carried out quarterly, Rabonza said.

?We are also continuing to upgrade our communication system,? he said.

Adhere to building laws

Rabonza said a mechanism was also in place to tap the UN International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, which has at least eight teams ready to respond to an earthquake-stricken country from any part of the world.

Renato Solidum Jr., the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), who met with Rabonza and other NDCC staff on Thursday to discuss various disaster-preparedness programs, said damage to life and property can be minimized if owners followed the correct design and adhered strictly to construction and building laws.

Fighting chance

?It is important to make sure that buildings are sound because if these will not collapse, there won?t be too many people that would need to be rescued,? Solidum said.

Sen. Richard Gordon, who chairs the Philippine National Red Cross, said ?nobody can prepare for the Big One? but believes the agency has ?a fighting chance? to respond adequately to a disaster of the same magnitude as occurred in Haiti.

Since taking over the helm of the PNRC in 2004, Gordon said the agency has acquired six rescue trucks equipped with machinery that can cut into cement and concrete to rescue people trapped underneath collapsed buildings.

The PNRC has also acquired audio and television equipment that can detect people trapped beneath rubble and enable rescue workers to communicate with them.

The agency also has K-9 (canine) units, or a team of dogs trained specifically to assist in rescue operations, on hand.

Ambulances on C-130

Gordon said the PNRC has tie-ups with volunteer groups, particularly the Chinese business chambers, so that fire trucks can be tapped for PNRC rescue efforts.

?We have also acquired ambulances that can be loaded on to C-130 planes to deliver relief goods to any part of the archipelago with an airport,? Gordon added.

He said the PNRC has currently 4 million volunteers nationwide with 44 personnel assigned to each barangay under the Red Cross 143 program.

?These are blood donors and people who provide us information to quickly identify priority areas,? Gordon said.

He encouraged every Filipino to volunteer under the Red Cross 143 as ?our fighting chance against a major earthquake will come from manpower.?

Key strategies

Sen. Loren Legarda said the Philippines is not totally helpless to cope with the impact of a magnitude 7 earthquake.

?It is certain that a strong earthquake will occur, a fact as real as the presence of major earthquake faults in Metro Manila. The only question is when will it strike and how prepared are we to respond and cope,? said Legarda.

The key is the implementation of preparedness and risk-reduction strategies, said Legarda, the United Nations ?champion? for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

?In many cases, these losses can be reduced. It is in our power to control many of the factors that lead to disasters ? the human elements such as how we manage our lands, where we develop our cities, and how we build our houses,? she said.

These risk-reduction strategies include building safe hospitals and other public infrastructures, conducting risk assessment studies in local government units and retrofitting of high-rise structures, houses and condominiums.

It is also imperative that housing developers should not be allowed to further build homes on quake-prone areas, Legarda said.

Protect hospitals

Legarda called on the government to protect public and private hospitals against earthquakes as they are critical when disaster strikes and victims need emergency services and medical care.

She said that based on international studies, disaster-proofing a hospital or health facility would add only 4 percent to the cost of construction.

The government can grant tax incentives to hospitals that invest in risk reduction-related structures, equipment and facilities, she said.

Legarda also suggested that Congress revisit the National Building Code to determine whether there is a need to update its provisions to meet the requirements of effective disaster risk reduction.