WATCH: Archive footage of the 1990 Baguio earthquake

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 1990 Baguio earthquake, a magnitude-7.8 temblor that killed more than 1,600 people and shook the nation's psyche to its core.

 

In this archive footage, GMA's Romie del Moro reports on the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Complementing his report from the studio, newscaster Jose Mari Velez spoke in a heavy and somber voice about the mounting desperation surrounding the lack of precious lifelines.

 

 

Revisiting the 1990 earthquake on this, its 25th anniversary, is apt because of major earthquakes in recent years as well as the looming danger of a similarly large temblor in Luzon.

 

As recently as 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Bohol, killing more than 100 people.

 

Although earthquakes are nothing new to Filipinos, public preparedness for these natural disasters is still sorely wanting.

 

Earlier this year in May, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) released their Valley Fault System (VFS) Atlas, a collection of maps that outlines the areas where the VFS passes through. The Atlas was created to serve as a sort of reference that will allow people to see for themselves if their homes are built in danger areas traversed by the VFS.

 

Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines (ASEP) President Carlos M. Villaraza also said that the 2010 National Structural Code of the Philippines was written with a magnitude 8.4 earthquake in mind. Assuming that your house follows these standards, it has a good chance of remaining standing even after a quake.

 

But these measurements can only go so far if people aren’t willing to follow them or make use of all their available resources to stay informed.

 

“A disaster can only be a disaster if we are not prepared for it,” said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Pama during the VFS Atlas launch. — TJD, GMA News