San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora on Wednesday, Dec. 6, urged the public not to be complacent in preparing for earthquakes and other disasters following the magnitude 5.9 quake that hit Occidental Mindoro which was also felt in Metro Manila on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Mayor Francis Zamora
"We are still collating all the reports from all cities but in San Juan, I can say na wala naman po tayong mga nasirang structures or structural damage. Again, this is something that we should focus on which is the Big One. Hindi talaga pwedeng kanya kanya ang preparasyon ng mga lungsod. Kailangan meron tayong uniform at centralized preparation (We are still collating all the reports from all cities but in San Juan, I can say that there were no destroyed structures nor signs of structural damage. Again this is something that we should focus on which is the Big One. All cities should be uniform and centralized in their preparations)," Zamora said.
"Malaking bagay diyan, number one, is yung pagsasanay ng bawat isa. Hindi pwedeng ningas kugon tayo pagdating sa mga earthquake drills. It has to be something that is sustainable. We have to constantly educate and train our people on what to do in case of an earthquake such as yesterday (Training the public on the proper earthquake emergency procedures is a big factor in helping minimize the number of injuries and deaths when disaster strikes. We can't have the 'ningas cogon' habit when it comes to earthquake drills. It has to be sustainable. We have to constantly educate and train our people on what to do in case of an earthquake such as yesterday)," he added.
The mayor also called on the LGUs and the national government to consider recruiting reservists to help during disasters as augmentation force due to the limited number of police, firemen, and military personnel that can respond to calamities.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the magnitude 5.9 quake that hit Occidental Mindoro was traced at 18 kilometers northeast of Lubang, Occidental Mindoro at a depth of 60 km.
Intensity V was felt in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.
Intensity IV in the City of Makati; Quezon City; City of Taguig; City of Malolos; City of Meycauayan; Obando and Plaridel, Bulacan; Floridablanca, Pampanga; San Jose, Batangas; and City of Tagaytay, Cavite.
Intensity III in the City of Caloocan; City of Pasig; Cuenca and Talisay, Batangas; City of Bacoor and City of General Trias, Cavite; Rodriguez, Rizal; and Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.
Intensity II in the City of Marikina; City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija; Lucban, Quezon; San Mateo, Rizal; and Odiongan, Romblon.
And Intensity I in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga; the City of San Pedro, Laguna; and Mauban, Quezon.
Phivolcs also recorded instrumental intensities in the following areas: Intensity V in Magallanes and City of Tagaytay, Cavite and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Intensity IV in the City of Malabon; Guiguinto and Pandi, Bulacan; Laurel, Lemery, and San Luis, Batangas; and City of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro; Intensity III in Quezon City and Batangas City, Batangas; and Intensity I in Lucban, Quezon.