OCD exec: Marcos wants long-term solutions for 'The Big One'

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. wants long-term solutions as regards natural calamities, including "The Big One"—a 7.2 magnitude earthquake— which may hit the country.

This was mentioned by Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno during a Palace press briefing when asked about the directives of the President as regards powerful quakes.

Nepomuceno also said Marcos wants to prepare the country for ''big calamities.''

''So, ang specific instructions niya lagi, number one, kapag nagkaroon ng malaking insidente, dapat tuluy-tuloy iyong pagtulong natin sa mga mamamayan bilang unang pagtugon kapag may mga kalamidad. Iyan, pinagbibilin niya iyan,'' Nepomuceno said.

(His specific instructions are, number one, if there's a huge incident, the aid for our kababayans should not stop as a first response in times of calamities.)

''At pangalawa naman, lagi naming hanapan ng long-term solutions iyong mga hindi natin maiiwasan na kalamidad. Again, iyong long-term solutions, hindi iyan madaling gawin subali’t there’s a roadmap doon sa iba’t iba nating binabantayan,'' he added.

(Second, he's always looking for long-term solutions. Long-term solutions are not easy to craft but there's a roadmap there.)

Nepomuceno earlier said the Philippines must catch up on its preparations to survive a magnitude 7.2 or stronger earthquake just like what happened in Myanmar and Thailand last week that left thousands people dead.

The “Big One” is often talked about since it could hit Metro Manila the worst because it is very near the West Valley Fault System. The country has six other active trenches which cause frequent earthquakes in Abra, Bohol, and Davao region. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News