In accordance with the policies and regulations formulated in the National Disaster Preparedness Plan, all personnel and port stakeholders of the PMO MO/C participated in the First Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on 10 March 2022. The NSED is conducted quarterly, spearheaded by the Office of Civil Defense in partnership with other local and national government agencies.  Drills and exercises are performed during the event to strengthen disaster response and increase preparedness among government agencies.

The said activity started with an online forum organized by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council via Zoom and Facebook Live followed by the Ceremonial Pressing of the Button led by NDRRMC Chairperson and National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Participants from the Port Management Office together with those from Oroport Cargohandling Services, Inc. – the cargo handling operator in the Port of Cagayan de Oro, the neighboring Shell Northern Mindanao Import Facility, and the Ports of Balingoan, Benoni, and Opol performed the “Duck, Cover, and Hold” during the simulated earthquake which was indicated by the fire alarm siren that lasted for a minute. Oroport (cargo-handling operator) also deployed their emergency vehicles (fire engine and ambulance) at the port as part of the drill. Net call to all stations were made by the Port Police relaying status reports and damages as such is done during actual disasters.

Since the city is placed under Alert Level 1, evacuation was still excluded from the activity in compliance with the minimum public health protocols per NDRRMC Memorandum No. 71, s. 2020. All participants stayed in their respective workstations for the whole duration of the exercise.-BCAcedera