DepED, ipinag-utos sa mga eskuwelahan na magsagawa ng mandatory unannounced earthquake, fire drills

IPINAG-UTOS ng Department of Education (DepED) sa lahat ng  public schools na magsagawa ng “unannounced earthquake at fire drills” para makatulong na pataasin ang kamalayan ng mga mag-aral at personnel ukol sa kung ano ang dapat gawin kapag may nangyaring natural calamities.

Nilagdaan ni  Vice President at Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte, ang DepEd Order No. 53 series of 2022 na nagsasaad na nire-  require ang lahat ng mga paaralan na magsagawa ng “unannounced earthquake at fire drills” sa mga paaralan.

Matatagpuan sa loob ng seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” sinabi ng DepED na ang Pilipinas ay  prone sa natural disasters at lindol.

“These natural hazards, coupled with vulnerabilities, increase the risk of disasters in schools and communities,” ayon sa departamento.

Ang paliwanag pa ng DepED,  maliban sa  natural disasters, ang man-made catastrophes ay “pose serious risks and threats to the safety and security” sa mga estudyante, guro at iba pang school personnel.

“Emergencies and calamities may strike anywhere and anytime,” DepED said. “Thus, having an effective preparedness plan is the key in preventing disasters and saving lives,” ayon sa DepEd.

Winika pa ng DepED na ang local drills at simulation exercises ay “preventive measures that familiarize escape routes and reinforce proper actions in the occurrence of a calamity.”

“Frequent practice of these drills and exercises would eventually turn these actions into automatic reflexes that would manifest during an actual calamity,” ayon pa sa departamento.

Alinsunod sa pangako ng DepEd na tiyakin ang kaligtasan at kapakanan ng mga mag-aral at school personnel, sinabi ng DepED na  “all public schools are hereby required to conduct unannounced earthquake and fire drills every first and third week of every month.”

Ang nasabing direktiba, paliwanag  ng DepEd ay nasa ilalim ng  Republic Act (RA) No. 10121 o The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 na naglalayong i- promote ang  development sa kapasidad sa disaster management sa mga indibiduwal,  organizational, at institutional levels.

Inatasan din ng DepED ang School Heads, sa tulong ng School Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Coordinators, na bilisan ang “planning, implementation, at regular monitoring” ng mga drills sa kani-kanilang eskuwelahan.

“These drills are to ensure that all learners are properly guided on what should be done during and after an earthquake or occurrences of fire in schools,”ayon sa  DepEd..

Ipinag-utos din ng DepED sa lahat ng mga eskuwelahan sa  National Capital Region (NCR), Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, at Bulacan, na lumikha ng “separate and specific disaster plan” para sa “magnitude 7 o higher earthquake.”

“The plan shall specifically lay down the response should there be a scenario involving mass casualties of learners and personnel,” ang pahayag ng DepED.

Inatasan naman ang mga paaralan na tukuyin at tingnan ang DepEd Order (DO) No. 27, s. 2015 o Promoting Family Earthquake Preparedness para sa mga materyales na maaaring gamitin ng mga mag-aral at pamilya ng mga ito bilang gabay sa paghahanda   “before, during, and after the occurrence of an earthquake.”

Samantala, sinabi ng DepEd na ang mga  private schools, community learning centers, at maging state/local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs) ay maaaring  “choose to adopt the provisions” ng naturang DO bilang basehan sa pagsasagawa ng kanilang  earthquake at fire drills para sa disaster preparedness ng kanilang mga estudyante.

Kaagad namang ipinag-utos ni Duterte ang  “immediate dissemination of and strict compliance” gamit ang bagong ipinalabas na direktiba. (Daris Jose)