Philippines holds nationwide earthquake drill

MANILA, Philippines—Holding doormats over their heads as their protective gear, some 2,000 students at the Pasig Central Elementary School calmly filed out of their classrooms Friday morning as disaster and emergency authorities led a nationwide earthquake drill.

The Pasig school was the ceremonial central venue of the nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill, where roughly 43,000 public elementary and high schools participated to test the preparedness of school officials and students for temblors.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato Solidum, disaster agency administrator Benito Ramos and Pasig Mayor Robert Eusebio led the activity, which aimed to teach students self-protection measures in the event of an earthquake.

“Expect the unexpected.  Continue to prepare for what you don’t expect may happen.  Prepare for strong quakes, especially those who have not experienced an earthquake of high magnitude,” Solidum said.

The drill followed a scenario based on the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Drill, which looked at the possible damage and casualty count in the event of a 7.2 magnitude quake along the West Valley Fault.

The fault line cuts through Rizal province and the cities of Marikina, Quezon, Pasig, Makati and Taguig.