THE RECENT earthquake drill conducted at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol was a commendable effort to raise public awareness and promote a culture of preparedness. Employees practiced the “Duck, Cover, and Hold” technique, while officials emphasized the importance of calm and coordination during seismic emergencies. Yet, beneath the surface of these carefully choreographed exercises lies a troubling reality: Region 6 remains grossly underprepared for the very disaster it is rehearsing for.
According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6, only two local government units in Western Visayas — the municipality of Pavia and the provincial government of Antique — have personnel trained in Collapse Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR). Worse, aside from Iloilo City, no other LGU in the region possesses the specialized tools necessary to locate and extricate survivors from collapsed buildings. This deficiency reveals the limits of drills that focus merely on procedural rehearsals without the parallel investment in life-saving equipment and training.
Earthquake response demands more than just good intentions and simulated evacuations. It requires concrete capacity: trained responders, heavy-duty lifting tools, thermal imaging cameras, and even rescue dogs. Without these, rescue efforts in the aftermath of a major quake risk becoming futile and disorganized. When buildings crumble, it is not the memory of a drill that pulls people from the rubble—it is the trained hands and equipped teams on the ground.
Region 6 has been designated as one of the responders for Southern Metro Manila in the event of “The Big One.” This national assignment places a heavy responsibility on our local governments. Yet the region’s current state of unreadiness could not only endanger our own communities but also fail Metro Manila when it needs help the most.
We urge local chief executives across Western Visayas to look beyond token drills and start allocating meaningful budgetary support for earthquake preparedness. CSSR training must be institutionalized. Equipment must be procured and maintained. This is not a matter of if, but when.
The Philippines is prone to earthquakes because it is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire – an area around the Pacific that is highly susceptible to seismic activity. Panay Island experienced its own historical earthquake, the 7.8 magnitude “Lady Caycay” earthquake in 1948, considered the second strongest in Philippine history.
The next “Lady Caycay” earthquake may not give us the luxury of a warning. Preparedness must move from pageantry to practicality. Anything less is an illusion of safety.
