The Philippine government has assured the public of its preparedness in the event of ‘The Big One,’ a potential catastrophic earthquake.
According to Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro, nearly all government agencies are ready should the country experience a major seismic event.
Castro emphasized that aside from preparedness measures, continuous information dissemination and earthquake drills are being conducted.
She stressed the importance of collective efforts in spreading awareness about earthquake preparedness.
“Sa ganitong pagkakataon po kasi, hindi po talaga natin masasabi kung kailan mangyayari pero mas maganda po na maging handa.” (In situations like this, we can never predict when it will happen, but it is always better to be prepared.)
“Karamihan po, halos po ang government agencies po natin ay prepared po diyan. Nagkakaroon po ng earthquake drill, fire drill, at mayroon po tayong nakahanda pong mga ‘Go Bags.’” (Most, if not all, of our government agencies are prepared. We conduct earthquake drills, fire drills, and have ‘Go Bags’ ready.)
The government has also mandated local government units (LGUs) to strictly inspect buildings within their jurisdictions and enforce stringent building permit regulations to ensure structural integrity.
Castro’s statement comes in response to the recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar.
“At sa mga local government units, sa atin din po na … idini-demand po natin hangga’t maaari po na iyong mga building officers nila ay magsagawa po ng mga inspection kung maaari, at maging mahigpit din po sila sa pagbibigay ng mga permits sa pagpapagawa ng mga buildings na magiging maaaring hindi ganoon katibay.” (As for local government units, we are urging them to have their building officers conduct inspections whenever possible and to strictly enforce regulations in issuing building permits to ensure structural integrity.)