CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro urged the public on Sunday to take earthquake drills seriously following the powerful earthquakes in parts of Mindanao.
During a situation briefing regarding the magnitude 7.4 quake in Surigao del Sur, Teodoro commended the officials of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for their prompt response and for immediately activating the national response clusters.
“Uulitin namin ang paalala sa aming mga kababayan at sa mga LGUs, na seryosohin ang mga earthquake precautions natin,” Teodoro said.
“Awa ng Diyos hindi malaki ang danyos na nangyari sa lindol na ito,” he added.
The powerful earthquake in Hinatuan has already claimed the life of a pregnant woman and injured four others. It has also affected 529 families, totaling 2,647 individuals.
Meanwhile, power has been restored in Davao City, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, and Hinatuan.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) was on Blue Alert this Sunday, indicating that half of the agency’s manpower is on standby for heightened monitoring of these incidents.
OCD is closely coordinating with the NDRRMC and local disaster risk reduction and management offices for the latest updates on the powerful Surigao earthquake, which occurred weeks after the magnitude 6.8 quake that rocked Sarangani, Davao Occidental.
The earthquake reportedly resulted in 11 deaths, according to official data from the NDRRMC, and left 37 others injured. It also caused damage in areas across the Davao Region, Soccsksargen, and other parts of Mindanao.
Last month, Undersecretary Ariel F. Nepomuceno, the Administrator of the OCD, directed civil defense officials to enhance earthquake preparedness measures. (OCD)
