Be sober, vigilant, public urged

Cebu City officials need to communicate quickly with the public  to avoid a repeat of the hysteria that followed Monday’s 6.9-magnitude earthquake  where fears of a tsunami sent people running out to the streets and suspended work in many   stores, offices and schools.

This was the opinion of Asst. Regional Director Welino Gubuan of the Office of Civil Defense in Central Visayas (OCD-7) a day after the crowd panic.

A  false text message  circulated yesterday warning of a more powerful  tremor to hit Cebu last night.

This time, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) quickly issued a denial and disowned the message.

The hoax text, in Cebuano,   claimed that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that an 8.5-magnitude earthquake would hit at 7 p.m. and last for one to two minutes.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he wanted to set up a command center to deal with emergencies like Monday’s tremor.

“With the command center, it would be easy to disperse information in a very synchronized manner,” said Rama.

He said he had proposed a P20-million budget for this to buy security cameras, digital phones and handheld radios but the City Council approved only P5 million.

“But because of Monday’s experience, we will come up with a command center even if they  don’t give us funds,” he said.

NO PREDICTION

The PIA quickly refuted the alarming text message   allegedly coming from a  barangay captain of San Antonio.

“There is no truth to the report circulating around that a major earthquake will again occur,” the PIA advisory said, quoting as its source Phivolcs research specialist Rolando Montañez.

“People are advised to remain calm and not believe the text scare circulating around,” said the PIA.

“One can never predict when an earthquake will happen again,” said   Montañez.

POLICE PANIC

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of the Cebu City police’s City Intelligence Branch, said they have identified two men who supposedly spread rumors of a tsunami hitting Cebu City.

Santander said they have identified two men who were shouting tsunami warnings in Carbon market  and a motorcycle rider who went around with a megaphone  in   downtown Colon area.  They  will be charged with public disturbance, a violation under Revised Penal Code.

All beat patrolmen assigned downtown will also asked to explain their conduct, and why they failed to calm down people in the area.

Several jeepney drivers and pedestrians saw policemen among the crowd of people running in pani.

Santander said policemen are trained in disaster preparedness and should help calm the public.

He said he can’t blame the public for being alarmed, but  but residents should  run to police precincts for help.

ISSUE OF MANAGEMENT

In an interview, Gubuan said the Cebu city government disaster management council should have coordinated with the agencies to quickly calm down the public and avoid the panic and chaos in the streets.

Mayor Rama agreed, citing the need for a command center.

His arch critic, Rep. Tomas Osmeña, said Rama was only using lack of funds as an excuse for  mismanagement.

“It’s all an issue of management, not an issue of money. But he (Rama) is always making an issue of money,” said Osmeña in a press conference.

He was in Manila for a House session during the earthquake and caught a 5:30 a.m. flight yesterday to Cebu to check any damage and see what help is needed.

Osmeña recalled how during his term as mayor the city bought a two-story structure near the Mambaling flyover, which is now used as office for the Cebu City Risk Reduction Management Council.

“That is the reason why I bought that building, but it’s not a priority. If we have money, then fine (we can buy equipment for a permanent command center),” said Osmeña.

Osmeña said he also introduced the Mobile Alarm Response System (MARS) which uses   text and cellphones to alert police and city government authorities, as well as citizen users.    He said this could have helped avert public panic during the tsunami scare.

“But the system was not operating very well because law enforcement agencies did not find it helpful,” he said.

Mayor Rama had the MARS disbanded and formed a  quick response team to attend to emergencies.

WAKE UP CALL

Osmeña said the best way to cushion the effect of a calamity is to be prepared.

He cited his experience as mayor when Typhoon Ruping hit Cebu in the early 1990s.

The night before the storm, Osmeña said he sent Kaoshiung buses to coastal barangays so they could move residents  to higher grounds.

A command center was set up at the Department of Public Services (DPS) compound with  food, other supplies, volunteer doctors, rescuers and heavy equipment ready for dispatch.

“The barangays need a  place where they can report what’s going on and they have a place to run to,” said Osmeña.

The Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7) said last Monday’s earthquake was a wake-up call on the need for emergency drills.

“Sometimes, our teachers and school heads need to experience the real thing, and that’s the point when they realize that they need to have  those drills,” DepEd-7 education program supervisor Victor Yntig told reporters.

Assessment

Yntig said most schools need to conduct fire and earthquake drills to avoid panic and ensure safety.

DepEd  field engineers are cehcking school buildings in Central Visayas for post-quake damage.

Emergency drills are required in all schools as prescribed in the DepEds’ “Disaster Risk Reduction Manual”.

Yntig said teachers should remain calm and instruct the children to take cover under  furniture to protect them from falling debris.

He said schools should only let  students out of the campus if a parent or guardian is present to accompany them.