STURDY BUILDINGS. A busy street in Benguet's capital La Trinidad in this undated photo taken before northern Luzon was struck by a magnitude 7 earthquake on July 27, 2022. Since the big earthquake of 1990, residents in Baguio, Benguet, and other parts of Cordillera have learned to invest in the foundations and columns of their houses and buildings. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot) LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - An official of the disaster risk management office in this mountainous agricultural province said they are proposing to conduct more earthquake drills and are calling not only office employees but also residents to make the "duck, cover, and hold" part of their "muscle memory." "The earthquake drills aim to prepare us emotionally and mentally during an actual earthquake," Abner Lawangen, an official of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said in Ilocano. Lawangen said they hope to have the logistics needed to conduct earthquake drills in the 13 municipalities of Benguet. He said people were observed running while the shaking was happening during the magnitude 7 quake that rattled northern Luzon on July 27. He said he saw employees running out of their offices instead of looking for a sturdy table and staying underneath it. "Let us not forget the risk, the characteristics of an earthquake. There was shaking and people panicked when we repeatedly say during the drills to always be calm, have a presence of mind, and do the duck, cover, and hold," Lawangen said. He said the PDRRMO office is located on the second floor of the Provincial Capitol building, which is situated on top of the hill. During earthquake drills, he said, a "sweeper" is assigned to ensure that employees are safely led out of the building. He, however, lamented that some of the drills taught to their personnel were not observed and that there was even no accounting of them after the shaking. "From there, we can see that even the employees who constantly participate in earthquake drills have not imbibed what they have practiced in their system," he said. "We have to internalize earthquake drills and make it part of ourselves so that it naturally comes out during an actual shaking." The 1990 quake The magnitude 7.7 earthquake of July 16, 1990 that also rocked many parts of Luzon, especially Baguio and Benguet, left many lessons that resulted in limited damage during the July 27, 2022 magnitude 7 Abra earthquake. Lawangen said based on their assessment, only a few infrastructures incurred major damage or were destroyed. In Benguet, he said only four houses were destroyed - three in Mankayan and one in Itogon. The one in Buyagan, where a casualty was recorded, is still under construction and residents have not yet returned to the place. About 583 houses, meanwhile, had minor cracks and the figure is expected to increase as aftershocks are still being experienced. "We can see how Benguet and the Cordillera, in general, improved in construction standards and engineering, which is one of the variables why not many structures were damaged (due to the) adjustments in quality in construction and engineering," Lawangen said. He said residents have also learned to invest in quality construction. "Nobody uses 12-millimeter size concrete for their columns. Even for bungalow houses, they use 16-millimeter steel to assure that they can withstand an earthquake," he said, adding that houses are built with deep foundations and "underground grills" to make sure they are anchored well. Lawangen noted that most parts of the region are mountainous and are susceptible to landslides, aggravated by the constant rain during the wet season, requiring houses to be provided with necessary engineering interventions. (PNA) }