BY LEILANIE ADRIANO
LAOAG CITY—Local government units in Ilocos Norte, together with partner agencies including schools and private establishments, conducted simultaneous earthquake drills to boost readiness and proper response and emergency protocols on October 17, 2025.
The drills were in line with the directive of Ilocos Norte Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos to strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure public safety.
“Preparation is the key to any disaster and we must all be ready to respond effectively,” Marcel Tabije of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said in an interview.
At the Provincial Capitol, three simulation exercises were held. In one, government personnel and emergency responders used a boom truck to rescue a “victim” trapped inside a burning building.
Another drill featured members of search and rescue teams attending to a “victim” of a vehicular accident, while another showed the evacuation of employees from inside a building during a strong earthquake.
Through such drills, Tabije said challenges are identified, enabling them to better manage disaster situations together with their partner agencies.
Marcos, who participated and witnessed the drills, lauded all participants for their cooperation.
Both the city governments of Laoag and Batac also joined the simultaneous drills, with emphasis on the practice of the “duck, cover and hold” method during an earthquake.
Marcos encouraged every household in the province to have a “go bag” ready so that they will still have provisions in case of massive destruction and essential services are disrupted.
A “ go bag” should contain basic survival kits like food and water, medicines, clothing, documents, a radio monitor, a flashlight and a whistle, among others, she said.
The provincial government earlier this week distributed “ go bag s” and life vests to families living in high-risk areas.
Magnitude 5.2 quake jolts IN
THE earthquake drill was followed by a magnitude 5.2 earthquake which jolted parts of Northern Luzon on the afternoon of October 17, 2025.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said it traced the earthquake’s epicenter at 11 km. northwest of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.
The quake, which occurred at 4:14 p.m., was of tectonic origin and was 10 km. deep, it said. It was followed by a magnitude 5.0 tremor at 4:31 p.m.
While expecting no damage, Phivolcs advised the public to take extra precaution as aftershocks are expected.
Nearby towns of Bacarra in Ilocos Norte felt the tremor at Intensity III, Claveria, Cagayan and San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte at Intensity II; and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur at Intensity I.
Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol earlier said earthquakes are a normal occurrence in the Philippines because the country has 180 active faults and six active trenches.
The afternoon earthquake happened hours after Ilocos Norte held a province-wide earthquake drill.
Employees of the Provincial Capitol, meanwhile, were ordered to go home early following the tremor.
