Camiguin Island is the “gold standard” in disaster preparedness, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

At the 4th-Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on the island on Thursday afternoon, Camiguin demonstrated its response capabilities with more than 800 participants engaged in scenarios addressing seismic and volcanic threats.

Thursday’s NSED simulated an offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8, affecting Camiguin and its neighboring provinces.

“I told my staff to make sure that the province of Camiguin will be officially recognized as the benchmark on how other provinces must do preparations and response,” Nepomuceno said at the Cong. Pedro Romualdo Grandstand in Mambajao, the province’s capital.

“From picking up trash to preparations for volcanic eruptions and typhoons, this is entirely a difficult job. The Camiguin province is one good example – the gold standard on how things should be done properly,” he added.

Nepomuceno noted the possibility of a tsunami as a real concern for Camiguin being a volcanic island in Mindanao.

“I am happy with what I saw here in Camiguin. We’ve gone around the country, and Camiguin is one of the best, at least in terms of the thinking and attitude of both the government leaders and the residents,” he added.

Nepomuceno also said that strong earthquakes may happen outside the National Capital Region and that the readiness and capacities of the provinces to handle these destructive calamities must be enhanced.

Meanwhile, Camiguin Governor Xavier Jesus Romualdo was thankful for the opportunity to host the NSED and for recognizing the local government’s efforts in fostering a culture of resilience.

“It’s important for us to be able to put into action all our plans and policies. This is a great opportunity for us to show that if something happens, our people can actually respond,” Romualdo said. (PNA)