Public now more aware of importance of quake drills, says PHIVOLCS official

An official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Thursday said that the high turnout in the latest earthquake drill was a "good sign" as people are becoming more aware of the necessity of the exercise.

In an interview on GMA News' Balitanghali, PHIVOLCS chief science research specialist Mylene Villegas said although some students were joking around, what was important was the understanding gained during the drill.

"Overall, I think more important for us is naiintindihan nila bakit nila kailangang gawin [...] Yung understanding of the exercise itself, yun ang mas importante for us," Villegas said.

As part of the exercise, participants gather after the drill and discuss their experiences, Villegas said. 

"Iba-iba depende sa lugar, iba iba yung gustong tignan, tine-test ng bawat organisyason. [...] so iba't ibang type naman ng drilll ang ginagawa, but in the end ang kailangan like if it's a private organization tinitignan nila paano yung naging response nila," she added.

According to Villegas, the Office of Civil Defense is looking into making drill a semestral basis instead of a quarterly basis.

She also urged families to talk about earthquake preparations such as survival kits and ready to eat foods among others for survival.

"Actually, that's also what we want to emphasize na hindi naman kailangan intayin natin na sasabihin ng national na okay let's have a drill again. Minsan po kailangan within the family pinag uusapan natin ano yung paghahanda na kailangan natin gawin," Villegas said.

Parts of Mindanao was hit by a series of earthquakes in October. —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News