QC imposes quake drills in all buildings

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has inked an ordinance requiring all establishments in the city to conduct earthquake drills twice a year.

Introduced by Councilor Allan Reyes, City Ordinance No. 2674-2018 or the Mandatory Earthquake Drill Ordinance of Quezon City "mandates all owners and managers of establishments in Quezon City to conduct earthquake drills with their employees, students, tenants, and occupants for at least twice a year."

The said ordinance noted that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has identified 13 barangays in Quezon City that are traversed by the West Valley Fault.

“PHIVOLCS has urged that the various locations where the West Valley Fault traverses should be a major basis for the people’s preparedness for earthquakes, as the very destructive ground shaking can cause and poses an immediate threat to people’s lives, buildings and infrastructures, and livelihood," the ordinance read.

According to the ordinance, the first drill should be conducted every March 1 while the second will be held in the third quarter of each year.

Meanwhile, Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Research and Planning Section head Bianca Perez said their office has yet to issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the said ordinance.

"May draft na kami (IRR) within the month. However, we may have to also draft and at least consolidate the comments of the members of the Technical Working Group,” Perez said.

The record of the drills, such as the time and date of each exercise, must be kept by the establishment’s person-in-charge and should be reported to the QCDRRMO quarterly.

The Quezon City Fire District (QCFD), meanwhile, was tasked to assist and control the exercises during the drill.

Those establishments and persons-in-charge who will not follow the ordinance will be penalized.

Owners, managers, administrators, operators, school principals, and other accountable officers will be punished with a fine of P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P3,000 for the third and subsequent offenses.

Business entities unable to conduct earthquake drills shall be fined P2,000 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense, and a fine of P5,000 and cancellation of business permit for the third and subsequent offenses.

The QCDRRMO will issue citation tickets to establishments that fail to implement the ordinance.

The tickets will include the checklist of violations under the ordinance, fines associated with each violation, and due date of compliance with the obligations imposed by the ticket. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KG, GMA News