Participation of elderly solons eyed in 2nd House quake drill
Before the quake happened,voice of @MMDA chair Tolentino announces #MMShakeDrill #MMQuakeDrill @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/ccMI3G1FF2
— Marc Jayson Cayabyab (@MJcayabyabINQ) July 30, 2015
The House of Representatives would conduct a second round of quake drill, this time involving elderly representatives.
In an interview after the metro-wide shake drill Thursday, House Secretary General Marilyn Barua-Yap said the second drill would be held sometime next week or a week after that.
Yap said the scenario would be a session with the representatives followed by a suspension of session in the plenary for the conduct of the drill.
This was similar with the quake drill held Thursday when House employees pretended as solons in the plenary.
READ: House joins quake drill | 8 congressmen ‘die’ in big quake drill
Yap said it would be a total blackout. The electricity in Congress was also cut off during Thursday’s drill.
“After this, magsesecond round kami. (We can) suspend session so that they can do the drill. That would be the total black-out,” Yap said.
“Sabi nila, bakit hindi kami gulatin. Hindi namin aahagahin ang pagdating nila sa ospital. Karamihan pa naman sa members hindi hale and hearty. We can’t surprise them as much as we can surprise the other people,” Yap added.
(Some suggested we surprise them. But we would not do that lest we want them to be actually rushed to a hospital. Most members of Congress are no longer hale and hearty. We can’t surprise them as much as we can surprise the other people.)
Yap said the offices of the congressmen would also be inspected to ensure they are ready for an earthquake.
She said her office would also ask the solons to prepare a detailed evacuation plan.
But Yap said she could not compel the representatives to prepare for the “Big One.”
“Our obligation is to inform. Kung choice niya na hindi niya feel sumama, hindi namin pipilitin (If they choose not to join, we won’t force them),” Yap said.
Yap said the building of Congress would be retrofitted at the end of 2015 or in 2016.
Yap said the House needs to be prepared for the “Big One” especially because the building of the lower chamber is near the West Valley Fault.
“The fruit of the exercise is the awareness. ‘Yung bigat ng calamity—it’s not your usual lindol or fire (The gravity of the calamity—it’s not your usual earthquake or fire). This is going to be worse,” Yap said.
Yap said a female House employee around 40 years of age and part of the actors actually fainted during the drill.
Majority of the solons in the House of Representatives are middle aged. At least 54 solons are over 65 years old, 59 solons are 56 to 65 years old, 93 solons are 46 to 55 years old, 65 solons are 35 to 45 years old, and 18 solons are under 35 years of age. IDL
