• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The city hall went on emergency mode as a joint fire and earthquake simulation exercise (SimEx) was executed yesterday at the Bacolod City Government Center, which was aimed at enhancing the city’s preparedness and response capabilities for potential disasters.
A multi-hazard scenario of a fire incident and a strong earthquake was simulated, where employees and officials at the government center participated in the exercise, practicing medical rescue and executing safe evacuation protocols as a response to the fire alarm.
“There are still people who still don’t know what to do if there are earthquakes, so we’re advocating for everyone to participate if there are drills in homes, schools, offices,” City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan said.
The exercise was a collaborative effort between Bacolod and the Bureau of Fire Protection, Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade, Office of the Civil Defense, Police Office, Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade, and Philippine Red Cross.
“We notice that there are only a few evacuation routes so we would be suggesting and hoping to have an evacuation plan or evacuation route in every office, so their clients will not be lost in case of emergency,” Pornan added.
The scenario-based training is part of the culminating activity of the National Disaster Resilience Month 2025, themed “KUMIKILOS: Kayang Umaksyon ng Mamamayan na Isabuhay ang Kahandaan ng Bawat Isa Para Maging Ligtas sa Oras ng Sakuna.”
“On the government’s part, we talked on how to keep up, especially in communications, and the important thing, on part of the city, is the training of volunteers in the barangays as well as the equipping of the workers since usually they are the first layer or they are the first to respond so we will focus further on that aspect,” Mayor Greg Gasataya said in an interview.*
