Early government interventions will lead to the Philippines withstanding strong earthquakes similar to what devastated Turkiye and some parts of Syria, an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Thursday, March 2.
OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said it starts with appropriate training and investments on equipment and other tools to further boost the country’s management of natural calamities that include strong earthquakes.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria left 50,288 deaths and 125,857 injured individuals.
“We can minimize damage to persons and property if we will pour all the available resources of the government now—skills, capacity, financial—for an effective emergency and disaster response,” said Nepomuceno.
“The earthquake in Turkey underscores the need to be constantly vigilant and always be prepared should such disasters strike. Right now we are closely coordinating with LGUs through NDRRMC in capacity building and preparedness of our officials during calamities,” he added.
On Tuesday evening (Feb. 28, Nepomuceno joined Department of National Defense (DND) OIC Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and other government officials in welcoming home the Philippine Inter-agency Humanitarian Contingent to Turkey at the NAIA Terminal 3.
The contingent is composed of the following members: 12 from the 505th Search and Rescue Group of the Philippine Air Force, 21 from the 525th Engineering Combat Battalion of the Philippine Army, nine (9) from the Metro Manila Development Authority, eight (8) from Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, 30 from the Department of Health, and two from the Office of Civil Defense.
The Philippine contingent’s medical team served 1,022 patients while its search and rescue team assisted in search and rescue operations in the collapsed buildings, assessing a total of 36 buildings from February 10 to 15, 2023 before it was placed on standby, awaiting requests for further assistance on retrieval operations.
“The team’s mission is indeed a heroic act. We extend our deepest gratitude and we commend the entire team for the support they have provided to the victims of the earthquake in Turkiye. And once again, we extend our sympathies and we pray for those who lost their lives from this tragedy and for all the affected families facing this difficult time. We stand in solidarity,” said Nepomuceno.
The Philippine government also donated 11,205 blankets, 5,000 bonnets, and 420 pairs of gloves to the earthquake victims.
Nepomuceno stressed that the government will need to be proactive in anticipation and readiness for calamities and natural disasters.
The NDRRMC, through the Office of Civil Defense, will hold a first quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill this year on March 9 at 2 p.m.