Cebu City to lead nationwide earthquake drill

Cebu City will be the main staging area of the first quarter nationwide earthquake drill next week, the first time it will be held outside Luzon.

Mina Marasigan, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesperson, said on Wednesday that the city was capable of showcasing its earthquake preparedness and was similar to Metro Manila in many ways — an urban area with several transportation hubs.

“We don’t like to give an impression that we are only preparing for an earthquake in Metro Manila,” she said.

Only on Tuesday, parts of Cebu were rocked with eight mild tremors. No one was reported hurt.

The nationwide earthquake drills throughout the country will be held on March 31 at 2 p.m. with the provincial capitol in Cebu City as the ceremonial venue.

The NDRRMC said it wants to increase awareness on earthquake safety by making use of social media.

The government, private, academe and media sectors were urged by the disaster agency to promote the upcoming nationwide earthquake drill on social media by posting a sign “Magda-Duck, Cover and Hold kami sa March 31, 2017! Dahil bida ang handa!”

The official hashtag of the drill is #BidaAngHanda. JE