A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, on the morning of Wednesday, January 7, 2026, prompted immediate evacuations at Sta. Ana Elementary School and the DSWD Field Office-Davao Region along R. Magsaysay Avenue in Davao City.
Call for Structured School Response Teams
In light of recent seismic activity, the Office of Civil Defense-Davao Region (OCD-Davao) is now strongly advocating for the creation of dedicated Incident Management Teams (IMTs) in every school campus across the region. The push aims to establish a more systematic and effective disaster response framework within educational institutions.
During a recent online press briefing held by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), OCD-Davao Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang reiterated this long-standing advocacy, which the office has been promoting since 2023.
He clarified that while the Department of Education (DepEd) assigns disaster officers, these positions are often limited in scope. "What we are proposing is that every campus should have its own Incident Management Team, where we train teachers and non-teaching staff at OCD so that when an earthquake like this occurs, they themselves can manage the situation," Dayanghirang explained.
Learning from Past Emergencies
Director Dayanghirang pointed to the confusion during previous "doublet earthquakes" in Davao as a key reason for this initiative. In those events, teachers individually contacted parents to fetch students, leading to significant disorder and congestion on school grounds.
A formal IMT structure, he stressed, would provide clear leadership and established protocols to prevent such chaotic scenarios. He noted that private schools and tertiary institutions are already collaborating with OCD-Davao to bolster their own disaster management systems.
Strengthening Communication is Key
Beyond schools, OCD-Davao continues to urge local government units (LGUs), particularly coastal barangays at risk of tsunamis, to conduct regular drills. Dayanghirang commended the growing capability of LGUs, using Manay, Davao Oriental as a positive example where officials quickly activated their IMT after the January 7 quake.
"I'm happy to see that our LGUs in Davao Region are already equipped and capable; all that's left is to strengthen the communication system," he stated. To tackle communication breakdowns during power outages, OCD-Davao is promoting the revival of reliable VHF and HF radios, citing Manay's effective use of this technology as a model for others to follow.
The agency also emphasized the ongoing importance of the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) and encouraged provinces to enhance their signal boosters to ensure efficient disaster communication networks are in place before the next emergency strikes.
