Iloilo: The Iloilo provincial government has taken a proactive step in earthquake preparedness by equipping its employees with essential emergency gear, including hard hats, rechargeable headlights, and emergency whistles. This initiative aims to enhance safety measures during seismic activities.

According to Philippines News Agency, Alfonso Baldonado III, who leads the Administrative and Training Division of the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), highlighted the importance of the helmets as they offer additional protection, especially for the head, during earthquakes. While the standard safety procedure during such events is to "duck, cover and hold," the helmets provide an extra layer of safety against falling debris.

The provincial government has distributed 2,300 hard hats across its offices to ensure that both employees and clients have access to this protective gear when necessary. Baldonado mentioned that Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. had approved this initiative through the PDRRMO after a series of earthquakes shook the region last year.

Each helmet is equipped with a rechargeable headlight and an emergency whistle, tools that Baldonado emphasized could prove invaluable during an earthquake or other emergencies. He described the initiative as a model practice in disaster risk reduction and management.

During Thursday's third-quarter nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill, provincial government employees donned the helmets as they evacuated the provincial capitol building, marking the first time the equipment was used during such an exercise.