The Office of Civil Defense Region VI (OCD 6) spearheaded the 2nd Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at Tigbauan National High School, Province of Iloilo.

Based on a report of OCD 6,  the exercise mobilized nearly 3,500 participants, including students, teachers, municipal officials, department heads, first responders, uniformed personnel, and barangay representatives.

“Simulating a magnitude 7.2 earthquake along the West Panay Fault, the full-scale drill aimed to evaluate and enhance the disaster preparedness and response capacities of the education sector and local government units,” the report read. 

“The scenario struck during peak school hours and tested the coordinated actions of multiple agencies in an emergency,” it added. 

Among the participants were over 3,000 students, teachers, and school staff of TNHS; and around 500 personnel from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC), including Local Government Unit (LGU) department heads, council members, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, barangay officials, and various response teams.

“The drill included immediate evacuation, triage and rescue operations, fire suppression, crowd control, and activation of the incident command system,” OCD 6 further said.

“The School Emergency Response Team (SERT) and the School Incident Management Team (IMT) of TNHS worked closely with responders from the Tigbauan Emergency Rescue Team and other agencies to ensure an effective response,” it added.

OCD VI Regional Director Raul Fernandez has underscored the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation. 

“This exercise is not just a test. It’s a commitment to saving lives. By practicing our response, we strengthen our ability to act swiftly and efficiently when real disasters strike,” Fernandez said.

OCD 6 also said that the activity was conducted in close coordination with the Municipality of Tigbauan, Department of Education 6, and member-agencies of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 

According to OCD 6, the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill is a quarterly initiative of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the OCD to “instill a culture of safety and resilience across the country.” 

(Info courtesy: OCD Western Visayas)