SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY

MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

The Assessment of Malabon National High School Earthquake Drills : A Basis for

Improved Disaster Preparedness and Contingency Plan

A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty

of Senior High School Department of

Malabon National High School

LANDEROS, Maillet

DIZON, Thea Jazmine

ROQUE, Cristine Anne

2019
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the discussion of introduction, theoretical and conceptual

framework, statement of the problem, hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and

limitations and definition of terms used. It provides a thorough analysis of the study

regarding the assessment of earthquake drills in Malabon National High School to

improve the school's disaster preparedness and contingency plan.

Introduction

Natural disasters can be tracked but earthquakes will shock everyone for it will

strike without any trace and warning, in which it creates a sudden movement or shaking

of the ground. Earthquake can be the result of volcanic activity or movements within the

earth’s crust that can be very destructive because unlike other disasters, earthquakes

occur can happen anytime, anywhere. The United States Geological Survey (USCG)

estimates that 500,000 detectable earthquakes occur in the world each year. An average

50 earthquakes occur every day or about 20,000 a year according to National Earthquake

Information Center (NEIC).

Owing to the geographical location, the Philippines rest in the Pacific ring of fire

and Pacific typhoon belt where extreme typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes

occur. Due to this, Philippines is one the countries that has a high vulnerability to natural

hazards and earthquake is one of the biggest disaster that can happen to the country.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) there

 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

is an average of 20 earthquakes happening every day, it can happen anytime and

anywhere, most of the earthquakes occur everyday but people failed to notice them.

In line with this, is the prediction of a very destructive earthquake that may

happen in the country known as the "The Big One" which can affect a large area

surrounding Philippines. The Big One is the movement of the biggest fault line in the

Philippines that is known as the West Valley Fault Line. It could kill thousands, if people

will not be prepared. Most earthquake fatalities and injuries are not caused by the

movement of the ground. Instead, it is when high rise and substandard structures collapse.

The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Institute of Volcanology

and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) reminds the public that everyone should be

preparing for it. One way to be prepared is the participation of Nationwide Simultaneous

Earthquake Drill to raise awareness and preparedness to everyone. To prevent the huge

destruction, schools can play a vital role in the country, too.

In Malabon National High School, there are many buildings at risk to collapse

when the big one will happen, to be prepared for the Big One, Malabon National High

School is participating in national earthquake drills. Aside from that staffs of the school

including teachers are conducting seminars and own drills to raise the awareness and

preparedness of everyone specially students.

The study aims to assess the earthquake drills in Malabon National High School

to have an improved disaster preparedness and contingency plan. It also aims to raise
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

awareness and prevention to the students, administrators, faculty and staff members of

MNHS.

Theoretical Framework

The study is anchored on the research of Abas (2011), entitled "Disaster

Preparedness in Elementary School in Cotabato City". This study explains that various

disasters, natural and man-made, can happen at any time, and when it does occur in

schools, the administrators, faculty and staff members should aim to help in preventing

bigger problems that are brought by disasters. The study discusses schools in Cotabato

City's capacity to identify the hazards both in natural and man-made, around the vicinity.

The researcher was also able to discuss the 1) the capacity to identify conditions that

contributes to disaster vulnerability; 2) the preparedness activities of schools for man-

made and natural hazards; 3) the level of knowledge of school administration, faculty and

staff on disaster preparedness; 4) schools' disaster management programs, and; 5) level of

preparedness of schools in managing disaster.

According to Abas (2011), school administrators, faculty and staff members

should take charge in preparing for various drills and other emergency plan in order to

assess the vulnerability of the buildings in the vicinity and the level of awareness and

preparedness of the people inside the school. In conclusion, it has been found and

revealed in the study that the schools, where the research was conducted, were prepared

in both natural and man-made disasters but got an average mean when it comes to the

knowledge on the drills and activities in terms of earthquakes and fire. It was
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

recommended to improve the disaster preparedness plan and enhance the knowledge of

the administrators, faculty and staff members to lessen the casualties when the calamity

occurs. This conclusion serves as a basis to the current study’s idea in terms of the

assessment of preparedness activities such as earthquake drills of Malabon National High

School, and the level of knowledge of school administration, faculty and staff to lead in

drills and at times of disaster like earthquakes.

This study covers a broad research in assessing the disaster preparedness in

Elementary schools in Cotabato City though this study would not focus on the assessment

of the schools' earthquake drills to create an improved contingency plan. Instead, this will

be a basis on assessing the level of knowledge and preparedness in terms of the drills and

emergency plans that the school has. In schools, disaster preparedness and contingency

plan is important in order to respond effectively to the disaster such as earthquakes. In

times of emergency, schools need to be knowledgeable on how to respond and recover

safely, an improved contingency plan will be a great help to develop response

preparedness and protection measures because some disasters tend to strike without any

warning.

Conceptual Framework

The study follows an input-process-output paradigm. Below explains the flow of

the research:
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. Demographic profile of
the respondents
2. Assessment of
Earthquake drills in
MNHS in terms of
 planning;
 briefing;
 execution of drill;
 cooperation of
teachers, students,
and staff; and
 overall
performance  Data gathering using
(before, during, and survey questionnaires
after the drill)
 Tabulation of the data  Improved Disaster
3. Significant difference Preparedness and
between the gathered
assessments of three (3)  Statistical treatment Contingency Plan
groups of respondents. of the data
4. Problems encountered
by the respondents.
5. Recommendations
proposed in the study.
6. Assessment of the
disaster preparedness
and contingency plan
by:
 -BERT / CAT
 -MDRRMC
 -Barangay
official(s)
7. Significant difference
between the
assessments of three (3)
groups of respondents.
8. Recommendation based
on findings.

FEEDBACK

Figure 1. The Paradigm of the Study

 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Figure 1 describes the conceptual framework of the study wherein the INPUT of

the research consists of demographic profile of the respondents divided into three (3)

groups - School staffs, teachers and students; the assessment of earthquake drills in

MNHS that include variables such as planning, briefing, execution of drill, cooperation of

teachers, students, and staff and the overall performance starting from before, during,

until the after performance of the drill. The problem encountered and the

recommendation of the respondents is also included along with the assessment of the

improve disaster preparedness and contingency plan of the authority/teacher handing

BERT/CAT,MDRRMC and barangay officials and the recommendations based on the

findings. The PROCESS includes data gathering using survey questionnaires, tabulation

of data gathered and statistical treatment of data. Lastly, the OUTPUT is the improve

disaster preparedness and contingency plan of MNHS.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to assess the earthquake drills in Malabon National High School.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the:

1.1 students in terms of:

1.1.1 age

1.1.2 position in school; and

1.1.3 years of studying in MNHS?

 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

1.2 and teachers in terms of:

1.2.1 age

1.2.2 position in school ;and

1.2.3 years stay/teaching in MNHS?

1.3 school staff in terms of:

1.3.1 age

1.3.2 position in school; and

1.3.3 years of working in MNHS?

2. What is the assessment of the earthquake drills in Malabon National High

School assessed by the two (3) groups of respondents - students, teachers, and staff in

terms of:

2.1 planning;

2.2 briefing;

2.3 execution of drill;

2.4 cooperation of teachers, students, and staff; and

2.5 overall performance (during, before, and after the drill)?

 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

3. Is there a significant difference on the assessments on earthquake drills in

MNHS assessed by the three groups of respondents, in respect to the aforementioned

variables?

4. What are the problems encountered by the groups of respondents as to the

aforementioned variables?

5. What recommendations can be drawn based on the encountered problems?

6. What is the level of acceptability of the proposed Disaster Preparedness and

Contingency Plan as assessed by:

6.1. BERT (teacher/authority that handles the BERT organization in

school)

6.2. MDRRMC

6.3. Barangay official(s)

7. Is there a significant difference on the acceptabilities made by the three (3)

groups of respondents?

Statement of Hypotheses

Ho: There is no significant difference on the assessment of Malabon National

High School earthquake drills as assessed by the three (3) groups of respondents

Ho: There is no significant difference on the acceptabilities made by the three (3)

groups of respondents.
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Significance of the Study

As one of the biggest school in Malabon, Malabon National High School should be

prepared in case of disasters like earthquake since it caters a lot of students. The best

approach to lessen the damage and raise awareness of the students is through earthquake

drills. School staffs, along with teachers, and students need to assess and improve disaster

preparedness and contingency plan frequently to prevent any case of damage in times of

disaster. On the other hand, earthquake preparedness must be included in the emergency

plan of the school, since earthquakes can never be predicted, being prepared means safety

of students and teachers. There is a need to conduct a study to improve the disaster

preparedness and contingency plan of MNHS through the assessment of the staffs,

teachers and students.

The findings of the study will improve the disaster preparedness and contingency plan of

MNHS. These are the beneficiaries of the study:

Students. The results allow the students to have knowledge and raise their

awareness and preparedness during earthquakes.

Teachers. The results allow the teachers to be responsible and take the lead to learn

more about the disaster preparedness of the school.

School Administrators. The results allow the school administrators to improve

emergency plan during disasters in order to prevent greater damage to the school

community.
 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Future Researchers. This will be a useful reference to other researchers that wants

to explore more in the problems and wants to make any studies in the disaster

preparedness and contingency plan of the inside and outside the school.

Scope and Limitations

The study will be focused on assessing and determining the problems with the current

earthquake drills and making an improved disaster preparedness and contingency plan.

The plans made can apply to the setting the study will take place and can be subjected to

changes over time.

The study will take place at Malabon National High School with the respondents being

the staffs, teachers and students in the school. The study will cover a total of (90)

respondents where (25) are teachers, (15) are school staffs and (50) are students. The

study is conducted during the 1st semester of the academic year. The data and

information presented in this study will held with strict confidentiality to the public for

the safety and follows the ethical principles of research.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are lexically/conceptually and operationally defined:

Briefing. An act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information. (

Merriam Webster, 1904)

Contingency plan. A contingency plan is a plan devised for an outcome other than in the

usual (expected) plan.(Merriam-webster, n.d)

 SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE – MALABON CITY
MALABON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Disaster. A sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction. (

Merriam-webster, 1567)

Disaster preparedness. Refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of

disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact

on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.(

International Red Cross and Red Crescent, n. d)

Emergency plan. An emergency plan specifies procedures for handling sudden or

unexpected situations. (Canadian Center for Occupational health and safe, 2014)

Earthquake. An earthquake is a weak to violent shaking of the ground produced by the

sudden movement of rock materials below the earth’s surface. (DOST - PhiVolcs, 2018)

Earthquake drills. An earthquake drill is a drill used to practice in preparation for an

earthquake. Schools in some areas conduct earthquake drills. Stop, drop and hold on is

used during the drill. ("Disaster Prep 101", n. d)

Execution. The act of doing or performing something in a planned way. ( Cambridge

Dictionary, n. d)

Preparedness. The quality or state of being prepared; readiness. ( Merriam-webster,

1590)