In Leyte
TABANGO,Leyte– A village in this town served as the site of an earthquake simulation drill aimed at assessing the response capability of the Rural Health Unit (RHU) and other emergency responders during a major disaster.
The drill was conducted in Barangay Tugas on Wednesday, June 10, as part of a two-year program of Americares, which supports disaster preparedness and health system strengthening in communities affected by poverty and emergencies.
The exercise simulated a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, with residents acting as victims while barangay officials led evacuation procedures and accounted for injured and missing persons following the “quake.”
Responders included personnel from the Rural Health Unit, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), and the Municipal Engineering Office.
Americares Philippines Program Manager Rudelly Cabutin said the activity was designed not to find faults but to identify areas for improvement, particularly in coordination among agencies.
Prior to the drill, Americares provided training on first aid, mass casualty management, and evacuation procedures for RHU personnel, along with emergency response equipment support. The simulation served as an evaluation of the skills gained from the program.
Cabutin said the second year of the initiative will focus on strengthening interoperability among the RHU, MDRRMO, and other responding agencies during disasters and emergencies.
Tabango Mayor Ma. Corazon Remandaban welcomed the exercise, saying it is important for communities to remain prepared following recent earthquake incidents in other parts of the country.
Barangay Tugas Captain Joan Sarsalijo expressed gratitude to the LGU and Americares for selecting their community as the training site, saying it helped both residents and officials improve disaster response awareness and coordination.
After the drill, representatives from the Leyte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Philippine Information Agency conducted an assessment to help further improve the municipality’s emergency response systems.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
