By Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan
MANILA, July 20 (PNA) — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is expecting around six million people to participate on the July 30 metrowide quake drill initiated in preparation in case a powerful earthquake hit the National Capital Region (NCR).
This was announced Monday MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino after he convened a meeting with different government agencies and representatives of 17 local government units in the metropolis.
”For the first time, massive ang participation nito — all sectors. Before maraming drill o individual drill in every city, this time buong Metro Manila — so first time to orchestrate a Metro Manila earthquake drill and (expect) 5 to 6 million participants,” Tolenitno told reporters after the meeting with stakeholders held at the MMDA headquarters in Makati City.
“We need to establish definite roles for every sector involved in disaster preparedness and management as each and everyone should be ready to provide necessary services to the public in times of disaster,” Tolentino said.
He added that on July 23, they will conduct mini national drill in different sectors and then the final meeting set on July 28.
”Final meeting will be on July 28 kasi magkakaroon ng mini national drill on July 23rd. I’m sure maliwanag na ang participation ng Red Cross, simbahan, LGUs, malls and etc. so nabubuo ko na ang larawan and also NAIA will participate yung sa loob ng airport — Immigration, check in counter passengers,” he explained.
The MMDA chief has been continuously meeting with local government units (LGUs) and concerned government agencies in preparation for the Metrowide earthquake drill.
Apart from LGUs, Tolentino also sought the active participation of Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
For its part, the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) is in charge with the information dissemination by conducting text blast two hours before and two days before the drill, Tolentino said.
He said the drill will cover 16 cities and one town in Metro Manila and to signal the start of the drill, sirens will blare, church bells will ring, and fire alarms will go off.
The drill will start 10:30 a.m. and last for a full hour or until 11:30 a.m.
Metro Manila will be divided into four evacuation areas: Intramuros golf course in the west, Veterans Memorial Medical Center golf course in the north, LRT2 depot in the east, and Villamor Airbase golf course in the south.
Tolentino also clarified that power and communication lines will not be interrupted during the drill.
In order to make the drill effective, Tolentino said they are hoping that various sectors will give their all-out participation.
“So we expect an all out participation of schools, hospitals, malls, call centers, government offices, among others,” he noted.
In MMDA’s Oplan Metro Yakal, an area in Macapagal Boulevard is designated as mass burial site.
He explained that the agency will use some roads where cadavers will be temporary placed before they are brought to the mass burial site.
Oplan Metro Yakal is MMDA’s earthquake contingency plan which focuses on preparedness of government resources and that of private organizations during emergencies.
Phivolcs recently released the Valley Fault System Atlas which contained detailed maps of the areas near the earthquake faults — the East Valley Fall which runs through Rizal and the West Valley Fault which spans from Bulacan going to Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna.
The agency said a strong movement, possibly equivalent to a magnitude 7.2, from the fault line is possible and could kill more than 30,000 people based from Phivolcs studies.
The atlas also identified 72 barangays in the cities of Metro Manila — Pasig, Quezon, Marikina, Makati, Taguig and Muntinlupa — which are above the fault line. (PNA)