OCD leads nationwide earthquake drill in Dipolog

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of Civil Defense led the 2nd quarter national simultaneous earthquake drill in Dipolog City as the OCD renewed calls for stronger infrastructure, sustained funding and tighter coordination among government agencies and local communities.

The large-scale exercise, held on Wednesday, simulated a high-magnitude earthquake and tested emergency protocols – from evacuation, search and rescue to biohazard response.

While the drill demonstrated improvements in coordination, officials acknowledged persisting systemic gaps.

“Public awareness and limited resources remain our biggest obstacles,” OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

Nepomuceno highlighted innovations such as climate-informed contingency plans, partnerships with private engineers for free structural assessments and the institutionalization of inter-provincial mutual aid.

“A single province could not handle a huge calamity alone. That is why we are building networks of provinces to respond together,” Nepomuceno said.

He underscored the need for long-term engineering solutions – like dams, catch basins and canal systems – to mitigate disasters intensified by climate change.