An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, leaving multiple casualties and billions in infrastructure damage. Over the holidays, Bicol and parts of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Eastern Visayas regions were ravaged by Typhoon “Nina.” More than 26,000 families—almost 115,000 individuals—were forced to spend Christmas in evacuation centers. About 118 schools served as temporary shelters of the evacuees. Unfortunately, schools and public infrastructure that were supposed to be used as evacuation centers were not spared from the typhoon.
Sadly, it has been accepted that government infrastructure usually breaks down during times of disaster. These structures are then repaired or rebuilt after. While we acknowledge that there are natural calamities that render the strongest of structures vulnerable, we should be building calamity-proof structures that would save us the cost of repairs.
Over the years, the government has allotted millions of pesos to repair and rehabilitate government infrastructure. My proposal is that we should focus on building high quality, safe, and sturdy structures. We should gradually wean away from the “build, repair and rebuild” practice. This should be the template standard for all government infra. Given the geographical features of the country and the annual record of typhoons and earthquakes, the DPWH, DepEd, and other concerned agencies should invest in making our public infrastructures, especially the schools, calamity-proof to decrease the spending on unending repairs due to substandard and inappropriate structural designs.
The DepEd has started studying a multi-design concept for schools wherein buildings to be constructed shall adapt to the characteristics of their respective locations. The head of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines said that buildings compliant with the National Structural Code of the Philippines should be able to resist up to magnitude-8.4 earthquake and remain safe regardless of their proximity to the fault line. Hence, I urge the government to adopt the recommendation of the NSCP and concerned agencies in all its infrastructures and monitor compliance even of private construction firms.
Infrastructure development is one of the key determinants of economic growth. I hope that the “Golden Age of Infrastructure,” as promised by Secretary Diokno, will bring in strong and sturdy structures, with the input and shared knowledge of other government agencies.
On a side note, we noticed that the construction of national and local projects is either substandard or delayed. Most of the delays are caused by the stringent rules and procedures of the Procurement Law. Legitimate bids fail to comply because of unreasonably prohibitive requirements, which result in the awarding of projects to less qualified bidders. Government agencies resort to underspending, which promotes inefficiency.
Therefore, I seek to amend this law and make the necessary corrections to a system that renders our public infrastructure vulnerable to substandard, poor quality, and easily damaged roads, bridges, schools and buildings.