In the first quarter of 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and senior Cabinet officials participated in the National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED).
The earthquake exercise, which began at 2:00 p.m. at Malacaan Palace, began at 2:00 p.m.
Marcos was joined by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara, Presidential Special Assistant Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr., National Security Advisor Eduardo Ao, and Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Benhur Abelos Jr.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has urged the public to participate in earthquake exercises in an effort to prevent deaths, given the inability to anticipate when quakes would occur.
Each year, the government promotes disaster preparedness and resiliency among Filipinos by conducting countrywide earthquake exercises quarterly.
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Robert Borje, vice-chairman and executive director of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) in December 2012, stated that the government is “doing all possible” to improve earthquake preparedness and response.
In 2018, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 52, establishing the Program Management Office for Earthquake Resilience of the Greater Metro Manila Area and charging it with coordinating all government preparations for a major earthquake.
EO 52 outlines the institutional functions and responsibilities of government institutions in order to increase the nation’s earthquake resilience and maintain public safety and government continuity.
The government has been conducting frequent earthquake exercises in Metro Manila to prepare for the so-called “big one” or the worst-case scenario of a West Valley Fault earthquake.
The Philippines are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a ring of active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes that circles the Pacific Ocean.
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