Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday ordered disaster officials to conduct earthquake-preparedness drills nationwide after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 5,000 people in Indonesia over the weekend.

Arroyo ordered the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to coordinate with the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (PHIVOLCS) and other concerned government agencies to conduct the drills in schools, business districts and public places nationwide as part of a massive disaster awareness campaign.

"Let us not be unduly alarmed, but by all means let every vulnerable community be prepared to meet any contingencies whether brought forth by earthquakes, landslides, floods and other natural calamities," Arroyo said in a statement.

PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum earlier said there is a possibility that a strong earthquake could hit the country. He said the Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that encircles the Pacific Ocean basin.

"It's been a long time since we've had a strong earthquake. The last one was in 1994 in Mindoro. Our studies show that we have a strong earthquake every four or five years, so that there is a possibility," Solidum told reporters.

An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted the northern Philippines at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday with no report of damage or injuries. The epicenter was located about 125 kilometers northeast of the coastal city of Laoag in Ilocos Norte province.

Source: Xinhua