CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) — Government agencies in Central Luzon are strengthening disaster preparedness through closer coordination, improved emergency response, and community empowerment under a whole-of-government approach aligned with the Bagong Pilipinas agenda.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Officer-in-Charge Shelby Ruiz stressed that Central Luzon faces multiple earthquake threats from several active fault systems, citing that disaster planning should not focus solely on the so-called ‘Big One’ associated with the West Valley Fault.
“First of all, I would just like to emphasize, maraming ‘Big One’. The Big One in Metro Manila is not the Big One of Central Luzon. We have several fault systems that can generate intensity 6 to intensity 8 earthquakes,” Ruiz said.
She explained that while earthquakes cannot be predicted, their impacts can be significantly reduced through preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and coordinated emergency response.
“Earthquakes do not kill people; collapsing structures and objects inside buildings do,” Ruiz said, underscoring the importance of enforcing building standards, regularly assessing critical infrastructure, and continuously updating contingency plans using the latest hazard information and risk assessment.
To boost local response capacity, OCD has trained 72 urban search-and-rescue responders equipped with specialized rescue and life-detection equipment under its collapsed search and rescue program.
The agency is also set to conduct another round of training to expand the region’s pool of qualified responders.
At the community level, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) continues to enhance disaster preparedness at the community level through SIGLABAY [Sigla at Lakas ng Bayanihan], a program that trains families and barangays on earthquake preparedness through lectures, drills, and simulation exercises.
DILG also conducts infrastructure audits with partner agencies to identify public buildings that need retrofitting and ensure schools and government facilities meet structural safety standards.
Meanwhile, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has expanded its disaster logistics network by increasing strategically located warehouses in Central Luzon to more than 50, allowing faster delivery of food and non-food assistance during emergencies.
The agency also trains personnel from all 137 local government units in camp coordination and management, while strengthening the capability of social workers to provide psychological first aid, financial assistance, and other interventions for disaster-affected families.
According to DSWD, relief requests are processed within 48 to 72 hours, depending on the extent of the disaster and accessibility of affected areas.
For long-term recovery, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development integrates disaster risk reduction into regional development planning by incorporating hazard information into land use plans, identifying priority resilience projects, and monitoring their implementation to help build safer and more sustainable communities.
Ruiz said disaster resilience requires sustained collaboration among national government agencies, local governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, and communities.
“As datasets change and our capacities improve, we also enhance our contingency plans. Preparedness is not a one-time activity but a continuing commitment,” she said. (CLJD/MJSC, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)
