THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has recommended that “many” of the 21,000 public buildings it has inspected and assessed be retrofitted and reinforced to ensure these could withstand earthquakes and other disasters, including an anticipated “Big One” tremor in Luzon.
Among those inspected were public schools, public hospitals, roads, bridges and other major structures such as railways, Public Works Undersecretary Catalina Cabral said in a briefing in Malacañang but could not immediately give exact figures and the specific location of the inspected structures.
Earlier this week, officials of the Office of Civil Defense and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) called for reinforcement of structures in Metro Manila as they said the country is not fully ready for a projected magnitude 7.2 from the West Valley Fault System, or Marikina Fault.
The followed the March 28 7.7 quake in Myanmar, which has so far claimed nearly 2,900 lives.
Cabral said the inspections are part of the regular operations of the DPWH, and were not conducted just because of the earthquake that hit Myanmar.
“Assessment is being conducted regularly. And it’s not just for public infrastructures, but also for school buildings, public school buildings, including health facilities. So, as of today, we have assessed more than 21,000 public buildings, and many of which we have recommended for retrofitting,” she said in Filipino.
Cabral said retrofitting means strengthening public structures to make sure they meet international earthquake standards.
She said the DPWH has actually already retrofitted a number of public buildings, especially in Metro Manila which plays a crucial role in the country’s economy.
She said that for this year, at least 500 public buildings are due to be retrofitted, with funding sources from the local budget and Official Development Assistance while another 425 public buildings will be retrofitted with the help of the World Bank.
Cabral said 124 public buildings in Metro Manila were recently retrofitted by the DPWH. She did not identify the structures.
She said DPWH has also recently inspected and checked the structural integrity of Light Rail and Metro Rail Transits and submitted its recommendations to the Department of Transportation for their consideration and actions. She did not say what the recommendations are.
8.5 QUAKES
Ariel Nepomuceno, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said government wants buildings and structures in the country to be able to withstand quakes of 8.5 magnitude.
In the same briefing, Nepomuceno said the government is strengthening its ties with private sectors, not just to prepare as many people for emergencies, but also with organizations such as the Chambers of Mines and Civil Engineering Association of the Philippines, and members of the academe.
He said being informed is not enough; structures should also be improved especially those that have yet to be built. He reiterated the importance of the location of the structures.
Nepomuceno said this is part of the short- and long-term solutions that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered concerned agencies to come up with in anticipation of natural disasters, including the Big One which refers to the anticipated magnitude 7.2 resulting from movements of the West Valley Fault, or Marikina Fault, in Luzon.
Nepomuceno said apart from the usual earthquake drills that involve the “duck, cover and hold” scheme, agencies have also been preparing for different scenarios and coming up with solutions to anticipated problems, including impact on communications during and after earthquakes, and the occurrence of tsunamis.
He said government also continues to increase its capabilities to provide immediate response from the local government level to the national level as well as to increase information dissemination.
