Following the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, Malacañang yesterday called on local government units to ensure the safety and integrity of buildings in their localities.
This as Phivolcs warned a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, dubbed “The Big One,” could result in a death toll of over 50,000 and heavily damage at least 12 percent of residential buildings should it hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“To our local government units, we demand their building officers to conduct inspections if possible, and they should also be strict in granting permits for the construction of buildings,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.
Castro said while it was impossible to predict when such a disastrous event will occur, it is crucial for both government agencies and local governments to be proactive in safeguarding lives.
The Office of Civil Defense said Monday Manila is not prepared yet for a 7.7 magnitude earthquake just like what struck Myanmar Friday that has killed more than 1,700 people.
“We cannot sugarcoat our answer to this. We really need to do some catching up in terms of preparations and engineering solutions,” OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said in a radio interview.
He said preparedness for a major earthquake involves two levels – the first is public awareness, with many Filipinos familiar with the “duck, cover, and hold” technique due to nationwide earthquake drills; and second is implementing engineering solutions, such as ensuring that houses, buildings, and bridges are built to withstand earthquakes.
Nepomuceno also urged Filipinos to visit hazardhunter.ph and type their address “to see if their house is near a fault system or near a landslide-prone area.”
The Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region around the Pacific Ocean characterized by frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity, encompassing around 75 percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes.
For his part, Senate President Francis Escudero called for more inspections of public and private structures nationwide to check the buildings’ integrity.
“We must see to it that regular inspections are conducted on public infrastructure and on the structures constructed by the private sector, particularly the office and residential buildings that have sprouted over the past decades,” Escudero said.
The Senate has been advancing several bills seeking to update and strengthen the country’s decades-old Building Code to institutionalize stricter inspection and certification processes by local government building officials.
“We need to take disaster risk reduction and management initiatives seriously at all times,” Escudero said. With Maricel Cruz