Soldiers in Balikatan to simulate disaster response

MANILA, Philippines - Soldiers in the Balikatan exercises next month will simulate disaster response measures should an earthquake similar to that which ravaged Japan last year hit the Philippines.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said participating Filipino and US troops would focus on an earthquake originating from the West Valley Fault and its possible impact.

“The humanitarian assistance and disaster response command post exercise that will be held in National Capital Region Command in Camp Aguinaldo will simulate and plan to address the devastation of a magnitude 8.1 earthquake,” he said.  

The West Valley Fault starts from the Sierra Madre and runs through Bulacan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Quezon City, the eastern side of Metro Manila including Pasig, Taguig, Muntinlupa, San Pedro and Sta. Rosa in Laguna and ends in Carmona, Cavite.

State scientists have claimed that the fault can cause a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and “is ripe for another major movement.”

Japan, which experienced a magnitude 8.9 quake that claimed thousands of lives last year, will send two observers during the exercise.

Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam will also send representatives for the activity.

The Philippines is vulnerable to earthquakes due to its close proximity to the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

Burgos said the exercise aims to test the current disaster response plans of the AFP and other state agencies.


“The activity seeks to identify gaps and solutions from previous disaster situations that occurred recently in the Philippines and anticipated future calamities,” he said.


State agencies and groups who will join the activity are the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Office of Civil Defense, United States Agency for International Development, United States Pacific Command, United Nations Country Team, United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Program, International Federation of the Red Cross and the Philippine Red Cross.


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Alexis Romero | The Philippine Star | March 12,2012 | Article Link

Russia to donate equipment for rescue operations

MANILA, Philippines - Russia is donating equipment for rescue operations to help enhance the country’s disaster response capabilities, the government said yesterday.

Benito Ramos, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director, said the Russian government has invited him to Moscow to discuss the matter.

“The meeting has been scheduled in September,” he said. “The meeting seeks to strengthen our cooperation in terms of disaster response.”

Speaking after an earthquake drill at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Ramos said they have not discussed what equipment the Russian government would provide.

“People from the embassy of Russia are here (in Camp Aguinaldo) to determine the things we lack and they promised to donate (equipment),” he said in Filipino.

Representatives from the Russian embassy were present during yesterday’s earthquake drill.

Ramos said among the possible items to be provided are equipment used to rescue people trapped in collapsed structures.

“The meeting with Russian officials will also allow us to share our experiences with them,” he said.

“There will be sharing of information about disaster mitigation and response.”

About 1,000 soldiers joined the earthquake drill at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.

The drill was based on the assumption that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Metro Manila and caused widespread damage in the military headquarters.

The activity demonstrated the capabilities of Camp Aguinaldo Station Hospital, Camp Aguinaldo Fire Station, Air Force Fire and Air Response, and the National Development Support Command Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue Team.

Personnel from the NDRRMC, Armed Forces Command Center, National Capital Region Command and Bureau of Fire Protection also joined the drill.

These units conduct simulated search and rescue activities during the one-hour activity.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said he is satisfied with the actions demonstrated by the military and its civilian partners.

“Overall, I think everybody contributed. It (drill) became successful because everyone cooperated,” he said.

Adequate preparation, training and information exchange would help reduce casualties during disasters, Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa said.

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By Alexis Romero

The Philippine Star

March 02, 2012 12:00 AM

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AFP conducts earthquake drill at Camp Aguinaldo

Members of the military's chemical warfare rescue team participate in a mock retrieval of victims during a simultaneous nationwide earthquake preparedness drill at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.
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March 1,2012
Ralph Joel
GMA News Online
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AFP Conducts Camp-Wide Earthquake Drill

CAMP GENERAL EMILIO AGUINALDO, Quezon City – Following the recent earthquake that hit the central part of the country, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will conduct a camp-wide earthquake drill within the General Headquarters tomorrow to test anew its preparedness in responding to an earthquake disaster.

The earthquake drill scenario envisions a 7.2 magnitude earthquake striking Metro Manila causing widespread devastation in the national Capital Region and greatly damaging Camp Aguinaldo. The activity will be composed of the static display of Disaster Response Operations (DRO) capability including the equipment of the Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Navy (PN), National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) and AFP Reserve Command; and the actual conduct of the earthquake drill.

During the drill, the GHQ and Headquarters Support Command to be augmented by Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from the PA, NADESCOM and 505th PAF Search and Rescue Group will conduct a simulated search and rescue activity.

The AFP Command Center will lead the simulated establishing of command-and-control over subordinate units by setting up an emergency command post (ECP). The National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) will also establish an ECP to simulate the monitoring of DRO in the NCR. The Bureau of Fire Protection will perform Hazardous Material Handling drill with other government agencies also performing DRO capability demonstration. The Department of National Defense Office of the Civil Defense will be providing the evaluators during the actual drill.

The vulnerability of the Philippines to earthquakes being geographically situated in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire” was again brought to fore with the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Samar Islands last February 4 followed by a more powerful 6.9 tremor in Tayasan, Negros Oriental, which resulted to an estimated 41 casualties, 54 injured and 67 missing persons with millions worth of damaged properties.  Although the conduct of earthquake drills is a constant practice in AFP camps, these series of events prompted the AFP to further test its capability to respond to earthquake disasters.

“Our natural world has proven to be very erratic these past few years which is why it is only fitting for us to strengthen our forces and capabilities in responding to natural disasters and calamities, which might strike our country,” AFP Chief of Staff, LtGen Jessie D. Dellosa said.

“Our objective is to increase our troops’ preparedness, evaluate our response capabilities and improve coordination among the tasked units during an earthquake disaster and other natural calamities,” Dellosa added.

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More information here:

1st Quarter Nationwide Earthquake Drill (Press Release)

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

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Created on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 22:39

Published on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 22:39

Written by PAO, AFP

Armed Forces of the Philippines

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