PAGADIAN CITY (PIA) – Around 700 junior high school students and faculty from Saint Columban College (SCC) in Pagadian City, participated in the 2023 third quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on September 7.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) took the lead in conceptualizing the activity in partnership with SCC to build the capacity of the students and faculties to efficiently manage possible earthquake scenarios and ensure orderly transition from response to sustained recovery.
The simulation also provided students with ample knowledge and skills in fostering effective communication during disaster. Effective communication facilitates the coordination of emergency response teams, first responders, and resources ensuring a more rapid response to the disaster.
In an interview with Mr. Jason Palahang, Chief Administrative and Training Division of the PDRRMO, he highlighted important communication strategies and protocols to ensure effective information dissemination especially when there is a sudden shutdown of communication lines.
“Aside sa aduna tay mga Emergency Operation Centers ug mga Incident Command Posts nga gina establish, aduna pod tay mga handheld radios in case mawala ang communication lines, for this year atoa ng gipunduhan ang pagpalit ug ginatawag nato nga SatPhones o Sattelite Phones dili lang para sa PDRRMO kun dili para sa whole Zamboanga del Sur ”, he said.
(Aside from our Emergency Operation Centers and Incident Command Posts that we established, we also have handheld radios in case communication lines will bug down. For this year, we provide funding in the procurement of what we call SatPhones or Sattelite Phones not only for PDRRMO but for the entire Zamboanga del Sur.)
The NSED is part of the initiatives of the government through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), which aims to raise awareness and increase readiness among the public in the event of potential earthquakes by organizing quarterly simultaneous earthquake drills throughout the country. (NBE/SBM/PIA9-Zamboanga del Sur)
