Baguio: The city government plans to hold more frequent earthquake drills to strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure that residents instinctively respond to tremors, the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Council announced Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the drills aim to make the 'duck, cover and hold' response second nature to everyone during earthquakes, as stated by Mayor Benjamin Magalong. 'We want everybody to be adept in disaster response and to have 'duck, cover, and hold' as a normal reaction whenever there is an earthquake,' Magalong said in an interview.

He referenced the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that hit Pugo, La Union on October 9, which was felt in the city at Intensity 5. During the tremor, government employees and students were observed calmly executing proper safety protocols. 'We saw that the duck, cover, and hold was properly done by our people, but we want this to become the normal response, especially since earthquakes are becoming more frequent,' he added.

City DRRM Officer Engr. Charles Carame noted that various government offices, schools, and national agencies have actively joined the quarterly National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED). Carame mentioned plans to conduct earthquake drills every month, or possibly twice a month, to further strengthen everyone's preparedness.

Carame expressed satisfaction with the participation of offices but emphasized the need for more frequent drills to ensure comprehensive involvement. 'We are glad that offices are participative, but with more frequent drills, we hope everyone gets involved so that nobody will be left behind,' Carame said. He highlighted that through repeated practice, 'duck, cover, and hold' will eventually become muscle memory, an automatic response whenever an earthquake strikes.