The UPLB Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS) faculty, staff, and students joined forces with the IBS Emergency Response Committee and UPLB Security and Safety Office (SSO) to conduct an earthquake drill on February 6, 2024.

They held the gamified earthquake and landslide readiness workshop on January 9, 2024.

Recognizing the significance of emergency preparedness, Dr. Vachel Gay V. Paller, IBS director, requested SSO Director Eric Paul D. Peralta for the activities to be held to ensure a well-coordinated response in the event of a disaster.

The SSO team led by Jonathan D. Maliwat, Special Police Assistant Chief of SSO, along with Security Officer II Grizelda Penales-Marza, Special Police Lieutenants Kristine T. Matalog and Pamela Mai R. Arquiza, and Special Policeman Alva Marie H. Tirones served as evaluators and assisted in simulating and staging a search and rescue operation to evacuate an injured victim from the building safely. 

John Vincent R. Pleto, faculty member and chair of the IBS Emergency Response Committee, acted as incident commander. The other committee members, faculty, and students witnessed the activities.At the end of the activities, Dr. Paller expressed her appreciation and commended the SSO and IBS participants for conducting the board game and successfully executing the disaster response simulation exercise. She emphasized the importance of incorporating the learnings from the exercise into the student orientation program. (Grizelda Penales-Marza)