NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S.B. NO. 1578
of tl:c ,'^'5 ri ctan’
*22 DEC-5 A10:18
R'cCEIVcO B'
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
MANDATING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ALL 
BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONDUCT OF A 
QUARTERLY NATIONWIDE SIMULTANEOUS EARTHQUAKE AND 
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR 
VIOLATIONS THEREOF
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippine archipelago is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically 
active belt of earthquake epicenters, volcanoes and tectonic plate boundaries, where 
the majority of the world's strongest earthquakes and approximately 75% of the 
world's volcanoes occur1. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology 
(Phivolcs) records an average of twenty earthquakes daily with at least 100 are being 
felt every year.
An earthquake vulnerability assessment reports that a 7.2 magnitude tremor in 
Metro Manila could cause 52,000 casualties and 500,000 injured, among other bleak 
scenarios.
While we are unable to predict the exact time of the arrival and pin the specific 
site of the next catastrophic earthquake, we can prepare for it and proactively lay out 
strategies on how to mitigate its impact.
This bill seeks to protect public safety and instill emergency preparedness 
through mandatory participation of all educational institutions and business 
establishments to the nationwide simultaneous earthquake and emergency drills. It is
1 https://www.britannica.com/place/Ring-of-Fire


hoped that through this measure, a developed sense of awareness on what to do and 
appropriate response will be inculcated among the citizenry. Through conduct of 
regular emergency drills, efficient evacuation and rescue plans could be disseminated 
and further deveioped, as response mechanisms could also be tested and improved 
over time.
In this light, the immediate passage of this bill is recommended.
RAMON/BONG REVILLA, JR.


■.»
NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S.B. NO.
)
SENATE
1578
Senate
K '■&{[!(f of t(!J
22 DEC -5 AlO :18
RECov.: 0 av
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
MANDATING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ALL 
BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONDUCT OF A 
QUARTERLY NATIONWIDE SIMULTANEOUS EARTHQUAKE AND 
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR 
VIOLATIONS THEREOF
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Mandatory Nationwide
2 
Simultaneous Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Drill Act."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby deciared a policy of the State to
4 
uphold the people's constitutional right to life and property by strengthening the
5 
country's institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management and
6 
buiiding the resilience of communities to natural and man-made disasters. It shall
7 
adopt an approach that is integrated and proactive in lessening the socioeconomic
8 
and environmental impacts of disasters and emergencies and promote the
9 
participation of all sectors and stakeholders concerned at all levels. It shall ensure
10 
public safety and emergency preparedness by requiring the citizenry to participate in
11 
the Quarterly Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Drill
12 
(NSEEPD).
13 
Sec. 3. Coverage. - This Act shall apply to all public and private educational
14 
institutions and business establishments, including facilities handling, storing, and
15 
transporting hazardous materials in the Philippines.
16 
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:


1 
a) Emergency—refers to a serious, unexpected and often dangerous situation
2 
requiring immediate action;
3 
b) Establishments - refer to any government agency, public and private
4 
school, hospital, leisure park, shopping mall, restaurant, food park, cafe,
5 
gym, and facility that handles, stores, and transports hazardous materials;
6 
c) Hazardous material- also known as HazMat refers to any item or agent,
7 
whether biological, chemical, radiological or physical, which has the
8 
potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment, either by
9 
itself or through interaction with other factors; and
10 
d) Motor vehicles - refer to any vehicle propelled by any power other than
11 
muscular power using the public highways, but excepting road rollers,
12 
trolley cars, street-sweepers, sprinklers, lawn mowers, bulldozers, graders,
13 
forklifts, amphibian trucks, and cranes if not used on public highways,
14 
vehicles which run only on rails or tracks, and tractors, trailers and traction
15 
engines of all kinds used exclusively for agricultural purposes.
16 
Sec. 5. Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Protocols. - All public and
17 
private schools and business establishments, including facilities that handle, store and
18 
transport hazardous materials shall, in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense
19 
(OCD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Local
20 
Government Units (LGUs) formulate emergency preparedness protocols and conduct
21 
a quarterly earthquake and emergency preparedness drill to provide the citizenry with
22 
the knowledge on how to react appropriately and safely in the event of an earthquake
23 
and other emergencies.
24 
Sec. 6. Conduct of Emergency Preparedness Drills. -
25 
a) Emergency Preparedness Protocols of Schools and Business Establishments
26 
shall include:
27 
i) The establishment of emergency communications system and mass
28 
evacuation routes and plans in case of earthquakes, 
and
29 
emergencies including hazmat releases, accidents and 
other
30 
hazardous phenomena;


1 
ii) 
Instructions concerning the location, use and operation of hazardous
2 
material protection suits, footwear, masks, gloves and other
3 
protective equipment;
4 
iii) 
Conduct of drills and simulation exercises; and
5 
iv) 
Evaluation of every concluded drill on the efficacy and efficiency of
6 
the plans, problems and intervening threats encountered, and the
7 
potential remedies to such problems.
8 
b) Emergency preparedness drills in Hazardous Material releases and
9 
accidents shall be conducted on a quarterly basis in facilities that handle,
10 
store, and transport hazardous materials: Provided, That night time drills
11 
shall be done at least thrice a year.
12 
c) A record of all drills shall be kept, and persons in charge of the facilities
13 
shall file quarterly written reports with the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction
14 
and Management Council (RDRRMC), indicating the date and time of each
15 
drill held. Such documentation shall also be readily available and presented
16 
upon the request and/or inspection of the local office of the disaster risk
17 
reduction and management (DRRM) or any relevant office of the local
18 
government unit where the establishment is located.
19 
d) Coordination and communication with appropriate and competent local
20 
and/or national disaster risk 
reduction authorities shall also be made to
21 
build capacity for disaster risk reduction and enhance emergency response
22 
plans.
23 
Sec. 7. Conduct of Emergency Preparedness Drill for Motor Vehicles
24 
Transporting Hazardous Materials. -
25 
a) All facilities using or contracting motor vehicles for transporting Hazardous
26 
materials shall conduct at least two (2) emergency preparedness,
27 
containment, and evacuation drills in a year: Provided, That night time drills
28 
shall be done at least once a year. The first emergency drill shall be
29 
conducted during the first quarter of the year and the second during the
30 
third quarter.
31 
b) Each drill shall include the instructions and practices concerning the proper
32 
evacuation of the vehicles and proper containment, suppression and


1 
disposal of hazardous materials in case of releases, accidents, and other
2 
hazardous phenomena during transportation.
3 
c) Facility operators and drivers shall be instructed and trained by the
4 
RDRRMC to enable them to carry out the provisions of this Act.
5 
d) The persons in charge of the facilities shall certify in writing to the RDRRMC
6 
that the drills required herein have been conducted indicating the date and
7 
time of each drill held.
8 
Sec. 8. Penalties. - After observance of due process, owners, managers,
9 
operators or administrators of the aforesaid establishments, and tenants, occupants,
10 
students and employees therein who, without justifiable reasons, refuse to join or
11 
participate in the NSEEPD shall be punished with the following penalties:
12 
a) A warning for the first offense;
13 
b) A fine of Five thousand pesos (Php 5,000) for the second offense;
14 
c) A fine of not less than Ten thousand pesos (Php 10,000) for the third
15 
offense and imprisonment of not less than one (1) month; and
16 
d) A fine of Thirty thousand pesos (Php 30,000) for subsequent offenses,
17 
imprisonment of one (1) month, and cancellation of business permit.
18 
Provided, That in the case of juridical persons, the penalty shall be imposed on
19 
the president or general manager of the erring establishment.
20 
The fines collected shall inure to the benefit of the LGU which has territorial
21 
jurisdiction over the erring establishment. The collection shall constitute as additional
22 
funds for the LGU's disaster risk reduction and management program and activities.
23 
Disbursements from the said fund shall be subject to the usual accounting and
24 
budgeting rules and regulations.
25 
Sec. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - Within sixty (60) days
26 
from the effectivity of this Act, the necessary rules and regulations for the proper
27 
implementation of its provisions shall be promulgated by the OCD, in consultation and
28 
coordination with the DILG, DepEd and CHED.
29 
Sec. 10. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
30 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
31 
affected shall remain in full force and effect.


1 
Sec. 11. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
2 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to, or
3 
inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended
4 
accordingly.
5 
Sec. 12. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
6 
publication either in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
7 
circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,