Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval leads Malabon City Government officials, employees, and other stakeholders in doing the "duck, cover and hold" as they participate in the first quarter NSED. (Mayor Jeannie Sandoval FB) 

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Malabon City Government has employed a whole-of-government approach to encourage the public and actively participate in the First Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, March 9. 

Mayor Jeannie Sandoval led the conduct of the earthquake safety exercise, alongside the Malabon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MCDRRMO), City Engineering Department, City Health Department, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). 

“Mahalaga ang ating pakikibahagi sa ganitong aktibidad upang maging handa po tayo at alerto sakaling magkaroon ng lindol (Our participation in this kind of activity is important for us to stay prepared and alert in case an earthquake occurs),” said Mayor Sandoval. 

Participants faced a scenario replicating a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in order to measure their disaster response and resilience capacities, including the activation of their contingency plan and communication mechanism in the event that the seismically active West Valley fault, that cuts across Metro Manila, move progressively. 

The city also conducted triage and fire safety protocols during the earthquake drill. 

The local chief executive meanwhile emphasized the importance of participating in functional exercises to instill a practice of earthquake preparedness considering the unpredictability of natural disasters. 

The NSED is a quarterly program initiated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to ensure the efficiency and responsiveness of disaster preparedness plans of governmental units, educational institutions, and the general public as a whole. (PIA-NCR)