The government should go beyond the holding of nationwide earthquake drills as it prepares for the eventuality of a massive earthquake or the “Big One” that can hit the Philippines at any given time, Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay said on Friday, February 10.

Binay issued the reminder as she commiserates with the reported death of two Filipinos in Türkiye following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation and Syria as well.

“We should still continue our earthquake drills. Those who also check our buildings should check the safety of these structures especially our bridges, particularly those that are old, and of course, other similar infrastructure,” Binay said during an interview.

At the same time, the government should also be strict with the implementation of earthquake-resilience measures and intensify its information drive regarding the active major fault lines.

Likewise, Binay said she supports the government’s continuous attempts to retrofit some old structures within Metro Manila.

Nevertheless, the senator said the Filipinos’ apparent awareness of the “Big One” has helped a lot in the government’s preparation for huge earthquake and more local government units (LGUs) are doing their part.

“Maybe it has become a way of life for us, especially after super typhoon Yolanda happened. The awareness is there, we only have to sustain it,” she said.

“I guess, we just have to continue what we are doing, the information campaign should be sustained that if the ‘Big One’ scenario happens, we are all prepared, like the schools should be prepared with go bags for the kids,” the lawmaker stressed.

“But we need to invest in search and rescue equipment that should all be ready and available. That is one of the many things we still have to improve on. During the Yolanda, we lacked satellite phones,” she pointed out.