Manila: Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is calling for enhanced earthquake preparedness nationwide following two major earthquakes that rocked Davao Oriental last October 10.

According to Philippines News Agency, Teodoro, who is also chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, gave the order during a National Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell meeting over the weekend, as per a statement from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) released Sunday night. "Secretary Teodoro instructed the OCD and other member agencies to boost coordination with local government units (LGUs) in regions unaffected by the recent earthquakes in Davao and Cebu," the statement added.

Teodoro has ordered a review of local contingency plans to ensure that disaster protocols of local government units (LGUs) are validated and up-to-date. The LGUs are urged to conduct wide-scale earthquake drills, particularly in public areas such as schools, government offices, and other facilities, to strengthen readiness.

State seismology agency Phivolcs reported that the two earthquakes, measuring magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 6.8, that struck Davao Oriental may be possibly considered as a "doublet earthquake." "They are distinct or different earthquakes in almost the same area with two (or more) main shocks that have slight difference in magnitude. This happens when faults or trenches are causing the stress to trigger a sequence of events," Phivolcs explained.

As of October 12, the earthquakes have affected 125,283 families or 491,258 individuals across the regions of Davao and Caraga. The earthquakes resulted in eight reported deaths and 395 injuries. In addition, 2,155 houses and 273 structures sustained damage, with the total estimated cost amounting to PHP100 million.