Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Monday called on Filipino engineers and architects to contribute to building a disaster-resilient country and urged the members of the two professions to spearhead efforts to amend provisions of the 1972 National Building Code.
“According to United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Centre on the Epidemiology of Disasters, we are the fourth most disaster-prone country in the world,” warned Romualdez, who is running for senator in the May 2016 national elections.
“Given this painful reality, our engineers and architects must take the lead in convincing their clients—including the government—to adopt safety standards beyond what is currently required by our outdated building code,” added the solon.
“It may be more costly, but no one can put a price on saving lives.”
In a study conducted by the two institutions, the Philippines was struck by 274 natural calamities from 1995 to 2015. The only countries to be hit by more natural disasters are the United States, China, and India.
The Leyte native, whose province was battered by Typhoon “Yolanda’’ in November 2013, said that weather phenomena like these “may become the new normal” and that the structures built in our country “must be able to withstand the ferocity and increased frequency of these storms.”
“Our painful experience in Leyte and the damage caused by earthquakes in Cebu and Bohol should open our eyes to the need for us to revisit the standards on which our houses, buildings, roads, and bridges are built. It is obvious that what used to be acceptable can no longer cut it,” explained Romualdez.
Estimated property and infrastructure damage as a result of Typhoon Yolanda was pegged at P89.6 billion.
A month earlier, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Central Visayas. The earthquake affected an estimated three million people, with more than 300,000 of them displaced after 73,000 houses sustained damage. Over two billion pesos’ worth of seaports, airports, churches, and other infrastructure were damaged.
Romualdez said that the National Building Code, which is over forty years old, “must be studied and revised to take into consideration the realities we face as a country vulnerable to typhoons and earthquakes.”
“The sooner we address this, the better. With the construction boom now in full swing all over the country, we have to ensure that all the new homes and high-rises being built around the country can withstand the fury of Mother Nature.”