Metro disaster officials gear up for ‘the big one’

Because of the earthquake swarms that rocked Batangas province recently, the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) will convene today to ensure that its members are well-prepared should a strong temblor hit the National Capital Region.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officer in charge and general manager Tim Orbos, who is also the MMDRRMC head, said on Tuesday the meeting also aimed to ensure that there would be enough staffers and volunteers who could be called upon during disasters or emergencies.

“We want to assure the public that the government is prepared for any natural calamity that may happen, and dispel false information going around on social media [about past and future] earthquakes…,” Orbos said in a statement.

On Saturday, four temblors were recorded one after the other in Batangas, the strongest being a magnitude 6. They occurred just four days after the province was also hit by a magnitude 5.5 quake.

Orbos said that today’s meeting, to be held at the recently inaugurated Metro Manila Crisis Monitoring and Management Center, would also be attended by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology representatives.
They will brief local government officials on the recent quakes in Batangas and “the likelihood that the same will occur in Metro Manila.”

“We want to allay public fear and instill preparedness instead,” he added.