NCR-DRRM Officials Learn from Cebu City’s ‘Quake Experiences

Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Officers from the National Capital Region (NCR) visited Cebu City for the first Metro Manila-Central Visayas Shake Share.

Shake share is a program initiated by the Metro Manila Development Authority, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Visayas and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) of NCR and Central Visayas.

The program centers on the knowledge and experience sharing by the Cebu City DRRM of their disaster plan operationalization during the 2013 quake to the Metro Manila DRRM officers.

“It is important that our DRRM officers have this kind of opportunity, as they can incorporate their learnings from this activity to their DRRM plans and resolutions,” said Shelby Ruiz from OCD-NCR.

Cebu City DRRM Operations Officer Harold Alcontin presented both good and poor practices that they have done during the 2013 quake.

According to Alcontin, the immediate installation of incident command post helped a lot in the centralization of the rescue and monitoring operation management.

The presence of responsible individuals such as: city administration; heads of concerned departments; and members of the Earthquake Quick Response Program (EQRP) and Philippines Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), helped a lot as it centralized the rescue operation.

Alcontin noted however that one of the major problems that Cebu City DRRMO faced during the 2013 quake was the spread of misinformation, which eventually caused the public to panic.

Emergency Information Plan
Alcontin said that last 2013, the three warning agencies: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau MGB, released updates about the quake and its succeeding after shocks every hour.

However, the spread of fake news was very rampant via text messaging.

Alcontin admittedly said that the insurgence of false information has been a big challenge to their disaster risk reduction operations.

One notable case was during the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the provinces of Negros and Cebu last 2012.

Following the 6.9 magnitude quake, PHIVOLCS warned citizens from coastal communities of unusual waves.

However, the spread of a false information that the sea-water level has reached Colon Street prompted citizens to evacuate to higher ground.

Emver Cortez of PIA-NCR said that the challenge now is for PIA to actively participate in the pre, during and post activities of disaster.

He said that the insurgence of fake news may be stopped, if a trusted government agency, like the PIA, would immediately counter panic-inducing false information.

Cortez lauded the initiative of Cebu City DRRM of partnering with the warning agencies.

He said that an effective way of countering the spread of fake news is to issue legitimate statements coming from experts.

Chief of the Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division of DILG-NCR, Elsie Castillo pointed out that the role of the Philippine Information Agency, together with the National Telecommunication Commission is very important during calamities.

Castillo suggested that PIA should prepare a calamity response planning and an emergency information contingency plan in case telcos would shutdown during calamities. (Jan Karla Madrio/PIA7)