TPES pupils, teachers, and school staff performed the “Duck, Cover and Hold” as the alarm went off during the unannounced Metro Manila Shake Drill last July 19, 1:00 PM at Timoteo Paez Elementary School.
The Batang Emergency Response Team, headed by Mr. Rowel S. Borja reported zero casualties as they quickly responded to the siren by checking possible injured victims from different areas of the school.
After the drill, all participants were gathered in the TPES covered court for evaluation led by the school principal Mrs. Glenda D. Tabaquirao, who is also the Incident Commander of the School Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (SDRRMC). She reiterated the importance of earthquake safety procedures and even suggested for each class to have BERT. “Mas mabuting may BERT ang bawat klase para mas maging alerto ang mga bata sakaling may dumating na hindi inaasahang lindol at mga sakuna,” she said.
Mr. Elijio A. Banog, Assistant Incident Commander of SDRRMC, also demonstrated how to do the standard operating procedure during an actual earthquake which is the “Duck, Cover, and Hold.”
The outcome of the surprise drill proves that having the quarterly National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) helped in heightening pupils’ vigilance and alertness over time.