The Philippines is not yet ready for a magnitude 7.7 earthquake similar to the one that struck Myanmar last week, the Office of Civil Defense said Monday.

“Hindi natin pwedeng pagandahin yang sagot. Kailangang maghabol tayo talaga,” OCD Administratör Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

The 7.7-magnitude quake that struck central Myanmar last Friday has killed more than 1,600 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

The United Nations and aid agencies have warned that millions of people in Myanmar were already facing a dire humanitarian crisis before the quake after a 2021 military coup brought the country's infrastructure, healthcare system and power network to their knee

Nepomuceno said there are 2 levels of readiness in case a major earthquake strikes. He said most Filipinos know to “duck, cover and hold” during an earthquake because of nationwide earthquake drills. 

Engineering solutions are the first level of readiness for major earthquakes by making structures such as houses, buildings and bridges earthquake-proof, he said. Schools and health centers also need to be retrofitted to withstand massive tremors, he added.

 “Doon tayo dapat maghabol ng todo-todo,” he said.

The OCD official said the national government is ready to respond to a major earthquake, having trained teams of rescuers to respond to a major disaster.

State seismologists earlier said the Marikina West Valley fault, one of the active faults in the country, is ripe for movement because it has not moved in 200 years.

A Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) report Risk Analysis Project in 2013 estimates that a strong quake will result in 31,000 human fatalities. This is apart from 14,000 people who will suffer very serious injuries, an additional 112,000 cases of serious injury, and 385,000 slightly injured. A total floor area of 88,142,000 square meters will be completely collapsed, while 172,924,000 square meters will experience “slight to extensive damage.” In total, the country is expected to experience an estimated economic loss of around P2.269 trillion.

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“Sa pag-aaral, every 200 to 400 years gumagalaw yan, papasok na tayo dun sa ika [200] years. Ibig sabihin by 2050, papasok na tayo sa ika [200] years niya,” Nepomuceno said.

He added that the Manila Trench Fault could also generate a massive magnitude 8.3 quake, which could bring a tsunami.

He urged Filipinos to go to hazardhunter.ph and type your address “to see if their house is near a fault system or near a landslide-prone area.”

“Pag magpapagawa ng bahay, huwag nang i-short cut ang mga permit…Dapat paghandaan ‘yung ganito….huwag nating asahan yung national government,” he said.

“Sinisigurado ng pamahalaan na ‘yung ibat-ibang scenario ay handa tayo.”