In Biñan City, Laguna alone, around 3,000 residents may die should the dreaded "Big One" – an earthquake reaching magnitude 7.0 or higher – strike the West Valley Fault line that runs along Laguna province.
That was the grim assessment of its City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), in a Facebook post last February.
This does not include the hundreds of thousands that can be injured or affected by the massive disruption of transportation and communication lines which are sure to hamper efforts to aid affected residents.
Not to mention the potential damage to various infrastructures that will effectively paralyze the local economy for months to come.
We need to talk about it
And yet even for the Philippines, with its vulnerability to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, such talk of possible massive death and destruction can be too touchy or overwhelming to discuss in public forums.
In fact, according to a survey that was conducted in March of last year and cited by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), disaster preparedness scored almost at the bottom of ordinary Filipinos’ priorities. (The top three priorities? Inflation, joblessness, and climate change.)
It’s lamentable, OCD Administratior Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno pointed out at a press conference held during the first National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) in Santa Rosa City, Laguna last March 13, that the ordinary Filipino is too preoccupied with surviving life itself that they give almost no thought to preparing for disasters such as earthquakes.
Yet it is a topic that everyone, from local government units (LGUs) down to ordinary citizens, should take seriously.
That we are vulnerable to the effects of the dreaded “Big One” has been hammered home, quite literally, by the recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand on March 28.
And even before the Myanmar earthquake that, as of press time, had recorded more than 3,000 casualties, local and national disaster risk reduction and management officers have once again raised the vital importance not only of educating the public but also of ensuring that our vital infrastructures should be protected from the worst impacts of the “Big One.”
Most vulnerable
What's more alarming, Nepomuceno told local media during the March 13 NSED press conference, is that the sector that will be the most affected by the possible effects of the “Big One,” are the so-called marginalized sectors whose day-to-day living has become in itself a fight for survival.
“Ito pong mga sektor na ito ang matatawag nating magiging ‘dobleng biktima’ kung sakaling tumama ang kalamidad na ito,” the OCD administrator stressed.
Nepomuceno pointed out that it is the very circumstances under which marginalized sectors were living that makes them even more vulnerable to the risks of a possible earthquake.
In fact, those living in squatter areas are even more vulnerable than the posh condominiums and high-rise buildings that have been the focus of rigorous building regulations in past years.
“Naranasan po naming iyan tuwing may bagyo: kapag maganda naman po ang bahay ninyo, hindi naman po nawawasak, ‘di ba? Ang una pong nawawasak ay yung mga bahay na mahihina ang pagkakagawa at yung mga materyales,” he explained.
“Ganoon din po pagdating ng lindol. Kung papansinin po ninyo, yung mga informal settlers, hindi naman po iyan kukuha ng arkitekto at engineer. Magkakanya-kanya sila ng pagtayo, minsan hanggang third floor pa.”
Nepomuceno also cited a study conducted by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) more than ten years ago, which showed that more than two million infrastructures in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces can be “adversely affected” (read: damaged or possibly totally destroyed) in the event of a strong earthquake.
And considering that in these communities, entire families lived squeezed in on one or two rooms, OCD authorities see a greater possibility of mass casualties among residents living in depressed areas.
LGUs should lead the way
Given the limited funds allocated to the OCD and its attached agencies, Nepomuceno urged local government units (LGUs) to lead the way in ensuring that their constituents will be better equipped for dealing with potentially catastrophic events such as earthquakes.
It should be noted that certain LGUs in Laguna province, including San Pedro City, had already started the limited distribution of so-called “Go Bags,” emergency kits that can be used during calamities.
Meanwhile, other LGUs have conducted intensive information drives to help the public prepare their own emergency kits in their homes or in their neighborhoods.
"Ang kailangan po talaga natin ay ang tulong ng LGUs at ng private sector - yung hindi po kayang gawin ng pamahalaan sa ngayon, kung pwede, pagtulung-tulungan po natin," Nepomuceno urged.
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