Quezon city: Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros called on the public to expand their level of earthquake preparedness and go beyond the usual "duck, cover, and hold" technique. "While the usual duck, cover, and hold and evacuation procedures practiced during the NSED remain the standard components of the drill, we at the OCD, together with our partner government agencies, would like to call on everyone to go beyond these basic actions," he said during the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, while stressing that the technique is an important feature of the country's earthquake preparedness measures, Cabreros said this is not enough to offset the dangers posed by strong tremors. He noted that it would be much better for people in homes, schools, offices, and communities to know other steps or measures that could alleviate or mitigate the impacts of powerful tremors and ensure their safety.

In line with this, Cabreros said government agencies, uniformed services, local government units, and private sector stakeholders and organizations are conducting "full-scale exercises" where response operations are demonstrated in line with contingency plans for earthquakes. Through these drills, the capabilities of Philippine rescue units and responders are tested and improved.

"Again, the NSED is an important step in preparedness, but we must remember that it is not enough, there is still much that needs to be done and strengthened, including engineering solutions, strict compliance with building codes, and the continuous improvement in implementation of our safety plans," Cabreros said. The ceremonial pressing of the button for the first quarter NSED took place at the Artson Events Place in Quezon City. This was followed by a tabletop exercise simulating a magnitude 7.2 earthquake caused by movement along the West Valley Fault.