DILG urges LGUs to join nationwide quake drill on Sept. 28

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mike Sueno on Sunday called on all local government units to participate in the 3rd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill set on Wednesday morning.

In a statement, Sueno said the third nationwide drill for the year aims to determine the coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of the National Disaster Response Plan for Earthquake and Tsunami and Oplan Metro Yakal Plus prepared by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

The plan provides operational plans and manuals for LGUs and other government agencies.

The OCD drafted the national plan and Oplan Metro Yakal in collaboration with different government agencies, civic and international humanitarian organizations, and guidance from the DILG and the Department of Social Welfare and Development based on experience from previous disasters.

The DILG and the OCD will lead the conduct of the operational plans and manuals and disaster readiness and response during the earthquake drill.

The ceremonial site of the earthquake drill is located at Juana Village, Barangay San Francisco in Biñan City, Laguna.

Meanwhile, Sueno said that members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and assisting regions identified in Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Reduction and Management Act, should understand the command and control mechanisms in disaster management operations.

Sueno also called on better interoperability between the NDRRMC and Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and test, assess, validate and evaluate the actual ground-set up of On-Site Emergency Operations Center in Camp Vicente Lim.

The DILG chief said all existing concepts of Response Clusters and Incident Management Teams inter-agency planning mechanism should also be strengthened through bridging mechanisms such the Cluster Approach Systems and Incident Command Systems. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/ALG, GMA News