300 students join Capiz earthquake drill
Roxas City -- About 300 students of Saint Anthony's College (SAC) here have participated to the earthquake drill conducted by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in view of the simultaneous nationwide earthquake drill last July 27.
"The drill was observed at two school buildings of SAC," said PhiVolcs Provincial Head Ramil Atando. He was assisted by his PhiVolcs co-employee Engineer Reynaldo Antioquia.
An orientation at the Capiz Gymnasium about the conduct of earthquake drill among Citizen Army Training (CAT) and Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) teachers provincewide followed the earthquake readiness exercise, Atando added.
The nationwide earthquake preparedness exhibition is in time with the National Disaster Consciousness Month celebration this July.
Recently, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored the importance of preparedness in coping with and overcoming disasters, saying "disaster mitigation should be everyone's business."
"All of us have a stake in saving lives and keeping private and public property away from harm's way," the President said in her speech keynoting the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction held at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati City.
The dialogue is jointly organized by the National Disaster Coordinating Council led by its Executive Director Glenn Rabonza and the United Nations System in the Philippines led by Nileema Noble, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program.
It hopes to raise awareness on the benefits of dealing with hazards and risks by focusing on disaster prevention and mitigation strategies.
The President pointed out that the recent spate of calamities hitting the region and different parts of the world make the holding of this dialogue more important than ever.
(PIA/A. Lumaque)