The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – Davao del Sur Provincial Statistics Office conducted the 1st Quarter National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on 9 March 2023 at exactly 2:00 P.M. This activity was pursuant to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum No. 06,  Series of 2023: Resumption of Face-To-Face Conduct of NSED. It was a standard drill and evacuation that uses simple steps to teach all personnel how to perform the “Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” which is a quake-safe action designed to protect lives and prevent injuries from falling furniture and flying objects that can become projectiles during ground shaking. 
 

One of the NDRRMC’s distinct programs under the direct facilitation of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), NSED is a good opportunity to test the effectiveness of local government offices' preparedness, response, and recovery plans, systems, and policies; to assess the efficacy of their contingency plans; to evaluate how well their coordination and communication systems work during response operations; and to comprehend how their command and control systems work during emergency and disaster operations. 
 

Prior to the conduct of this drill, it can be remembered that last 7 March 2023, personnel of PSA-Davao del Sur, that is, its regular, COSW and OJTs, attended the NSED Webinar via zoom platform wherein the OCD-XI led in the lecture and briefing for the NSED activity. It was where the what-to-do process was further explained.