Iloilo city: A total of 843 schools from eight school divisions in Western Visayas participated in the national simultaneous school safety drill Thursday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said. According to Philippines News Agency, data from DepEd Western Visayas showed that the Schools Division of Iloilo had the highest participation with 623 schools, followed by Antique with 112.
Other participating schools included 12 in Aklan, one each in Capiz and Passi City, five in Guimaras, seven in Iloilo City, and 75 in Roxas City. Before the DepEd central office issued its memorandum on the drill, 649 schools had already conducted the exercise, while 1,381 others opted to hold it at a later date.
DepEd Western Visayas Information Officer Hernani Escullar Jr. stated that schools conducting the drill ahead of the memorandum do not need to repeat the exercise but must submit the required documentation. "We see to it that the schools, especially those that participated in today's simultaneous school safety drill for active attack threats, made sure that all protocols and guidelines coming from our central office were followed," Escullar said in an interview.
He elaborated that the exercise covered essential protocols such as sounding alarms, contacting law enforcement agencies, addressing medical needs, implementing lockdown procedures, and ensuring the orderly evacuation of learners until they are reunited with their parents. "We are happy that it was successful, although we are still waiting for official reports from our division offices. Currently, schools are still doing reports for submission to their division offices for consolidation and reporting to the regional office," he added.
Escullar emphasized that the drill will aid school personnel and learners in responding appropriately during emergencies. "Through this, they would know what to do," he noted. Inputs from the Philippine National Police, disaster risk reduction and management offices, and other stakeholders will also be used to strengthen existing school safety protocols. These recommendations will form part of the improvement plans to be prepared by school heads.
