EDITORIAL - Not ready for the Big One

In the wake of the killer earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand last week, Malacañang is urging local government units to help ensure the structural integrity of buildings in their jurisdictions.

LGUs, however, cannot do it alone, even if they deploy all the manpower of their engineering units to inspect buildings for compliance with the Building Code. Some quarters have also wondered if there are enough government personnel with the expertise to carry out such widespread inspection.

This kind of preparedness is best carried out with the full involvement of the private sector. The Department of Public Works and Highways said yesterday that the private sector could seek help from DPWH engineers to assess the earthquake resilience of buildings.

DPWH officials said there are engineering solutions such as retrofitting that can boost the structural integrity of existing buildings. LGUs, meanwhile, were reminded to ensure compliance with the Building Code when issuing construction and occupancy permits.

Compliance with the Building Code can be problematic in a country where corruption is said to be rampant particularly in construction projects. The DPWH itself is still grappling with controversy over the collapse of a segment of a bridge in Isabela province less than a month after it was opened. The department must also ensure the structural integrity of public works infrastructure.

In Myanmar, the death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck on March 28 had soared to 2,886 as of yesterday, with buildings still collapsing in Mandalay, the city closest to the epicenter of the 7.7-magnitude quake. Over 4,600 people were injured.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Thailand, the confirmed death toll from the quake stood at 22 yesterday, with dozens of people still missing, most of them construction workers at a building in Bangkok that collapsed when the earthquake struck. Thai authorities are reportedly looking at possible corruption related to the construction.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has reiterated warnings about the so-called “Big One” emanating from the West Valley Fault that could kill at least 33,000 people in Mega Manila.

The Office of Civil Defense itself has admitted that the National Capital Region and neighboring areas are not ready for the Big One. Seeing the horrific death and destruction in Myanmar and Thailand should galvanize Philippine authorities to intensify measures for earthquake preparedness.