Palace to LGUs: Ensure integrity of structures

Philippines not ready for the Big One?

MANILA, Philippines — Following the deadly earthquake in Myanmar last week, Malacañang has urged local government officials to inspect structures and ensure the strict implementation of rules on infrastructure projects.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government considers this a priority in preparation for any future calamity.

“We are requesting all building officials in the LGUs to inspect their structures and to be strict and implement restrictions on the construction of buildings to prevent vulnerabilities during this kind of disasters,” she said in Filipino.

Castro also confirmed that the 141-member humanitarian team that the Philippines will send to Myanmar is tentatively scheduled to leave today.

The team, she said, includes emergency medical assistance personnel from the Department of Health, along with urban search and rescue personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other agencies.

Similarly, Senate President Francis Escudero wanted “a fresh inspection of public and private structures,” given the country’s location in the Pacific Ring of Fire.

“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,” he said.

OCD: Philippines not ready

The country needs to catch up on its preparations to survive an earthquake because as of now, it is certainly not ready, according to Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.

“We cannot sugarcoat the answer. We need to really catch up, because there are two levels of readiness. What we always see is the second level, which is the ‘duck, cover and hold.’ That is only a reaction in the event of a strong earthquake,” he said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo yesterday.

“The first level, which is more important, is the engineering solutions, which means that our buildings, houses, structures, bridges – are they strong enough to withstand an earthquake? That is where we need to catch up the most,” he added.

He explained that the “Big One” could hit Metro Manila, being near the West Valley Fault System, but six other trenches cause frequent earthquakes in Abra, Bohol and Davao region.

According to Malacañang, contingency measures are in place in case the “Big One” hits.

“We really cannot tell when it will happen. Our government agencies are prepared for that. We had an earthquake drill, a fire drill and we have prepared ‘go’ bags,” Castro said at a press briefing.

More than 1,700 persons have died while about 3,400 others were hurt in the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that tore into Myanmar and Thailand last Friday.

Possible scenario

At least 33,000 people would die and more than 100,000 individuals would be injured should a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits Metro Manila, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Teresito Bacolcol said yesterday.

In a radio interview, Bacolcol cited the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study jointly conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, MMDA and Phivolcs in 2004 in case a strong earthquake would occur because of the movement of the West Valley Fault.

“The casualties (33,000) could still increase if the 100,000 injured would not be given immediate medical attention,” Bacolcol said.

He added that the worst earthquake in the country occurred on Aug. 16,1976 where at least 8,000 people died in the earthquake brought by the Cotabato Trench.

“It happened past midnight and it generated a tsunami,” he noted.

He said that aside from the Cotabato earthquake, at least 1,600 people died on July 16, 1990 following the Luzon earthquake.

“The casualties would be because of the collapse of the buildings,” he said, referring to the projected figures.

Bacolcol said that while regular earthquake drills are important, buildings and houses should be earthquake resilient.

“Even if we practice duck, cover and hold, if the buildings or houses are not earthquake resilient, it would still cause casualties. We have to follow the minimum requirements of our building code to make sure our houses and buildings are resilient,” he added.

Bacolcol noted that there are at least 175 active fault segments in the Philippines, where some could generate strong earthquakes between magnitude 7.2 and 8.2.

Repatriation

The Department of Foreign Affairs is expecting repatriation requests from Filipinos affected by the earthquake in Myanmar.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said the Philippine embassy in Yangon is ready to help and repatriate Filipinos who will request to come home after they lost their jobs due to the earthquake.

“Like what happened in Turkiye in 2023, if someone wants to come home, we will help them,” De Vega told GMA’s “Unang Balita” yesterday.

The DFA said four Filipinos in Myanmar are still missing following two powerful earthquakes.

De Vega said two of the four Filipinos, who are professionals, are a husband and wife residing in a building that collapsed.

The embassy continues to conduct welfare checks on affected Filipinos and all embassy communication lines remain open to provide assistance and support.

The embassy was also preparing to deploy a team in Mandalay for an on-the-ground assessment and direct welfare checks on Filipinos in the area.

Arrangements were made to mobilize and distribute essential supplies and basic necessities to those in need, including possible evacuation routes for relocation or repatriation.

Meanwhile, Escudero emphasized the need for Philippine embassies in Yangon and Bangkok to stay on top of the situation.

“Once the dust has settled and the rescue operations have concluded, we must have a full accounting of the Filipinos who may have been affected by the earthquake and extend every possible assistance as necessary, including psychosocial support for the survivors,” the Senate President said.

“We express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the governments of Myanmar and Thailand and most especially to the families who lost their loved ones to the devastating earthquake. Both countries have been gracious hosts to our OFWs over a long period of time and as fellow members of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we consider them as more than just neighbors, but part of our community of nations,” he added.

— Janvic Mateo, Pia Lee-Brago, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Alexis Romero, Bella Cariaso