For the safety of everyone in Iligan City, Mayor Frederick Siao directed all city and national government offices, schools, and the private sector to conduct earthquake drills.
The initiative is part of the city’s active participation in the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED), which is conducted quarterly as mandated by the Philippine DRRM Act.
Iligan City has long been a strong advocate of disaster preparedness, having even hosted the regional NSED in the past.
According to Siao, the activity serves as a refresher of what the city has already learned through previous NSEDs.
“This drill reinforces the importance of calmness, preparedness, and coordination.”
“We have observed that panic can easily make people forget what to do during an earthquake,” the mayor said. “This drill reinforces the importance of calmness, preparedness, and coordination.”
During the recent City DRRMC meeting, he also emphasized: “Let us continue strengthening our systems, training our personnel, and empowering our communities. Let us be proactive, because disaster risk reduction is not just a mandate, it is a moral duty to safeguard lives.”
“Let us be proactive, because disaster risk reduction is not just a mandate, it is a moral duty to safeguard lives.”
Siao further stressed that the city’s goal is not to start from scratch, but to update and upgrade existing systems, replacing old methods with improved, evidence-based ones.
Iligan City continues to invest heavily in capacity-building and equipment to ensure a state of readiness at all times.
Hundreds of personnel and private sector partners underwent training on the Incident Command System (ICS) through the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), while the city has also acquired additional equipment for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and Water Search and Rescue (WASAR) operations. Continuous Basic Life Support (BLS) and Standard First Aid trainings are being conducted in barangays and LGU offices, with plans to expand the program to include youth volunteers next year.
Through these efforts, Iligan City has built a highly capable and well-equipped response force, ready to respond to any emergency situation.
Following the recent earthquake that hit Davao Oriental, the Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) and the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) immediately conducted inspections of buildings and establishments throughout the city.
The inspection aimed to determine any possible structural damage or cracks, especially in schools and other learning institutions. This action was carried out upon the directive of Siao to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and workers.
The inspection team has already checked 22 schools, with ongoing assessments in other buildings and establishments to guarantee the continued safety of all Iliganons.
Siao reminded all heads of offices, homeowners, and business owners to also inspect their own structures and review their safety and evacuation procedures.
“Preparedness must be everyone’s shared responsibility,” he said. “Daig ng maagap ang nagpapanic. Preparedness saves lives.”
