Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., also chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, called for improved earthquake preparedness across the country following the two major earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental on October 10.
Teodoro issued the directive during a National Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell meeting over the weekend, as stated by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Sunday night. He instructed the OCD and other agencies to strengthen coordination with local government units (LGUs) in regions unaffected by the recent quakes in Davao and Cebu.
LGUs are required to review their contingency plans to ensure disaster protocols are validated and current. Teodoro urged conducting wide-scale earthquake drills in public areas like schools, government offices, and other facilities to boost readiness.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) described the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 quakes as a possible “doublet earthquake.” “They are distinct or different earthquakes in almost the same area with two (or more) main shocks that have slight difference in magnitude. This happens when faults or trenches are causing the stress to trigger a sequence of events,” Phivolcs said.
As of October 12, the earthquakes impacted 125,283 families or 491,258 individuals in the Davao and Caraga regions, resulting in eight deaths and 395 injuries. Damage affected 2,155 houses and 273 structures, with an estimated cost of PHP100 million.