Prepare for the next big earthquake, follow Natl Building Code –Phivolcs chief- headline and trending

Prepare for the next big earthquake, follow Natl Building Code –Phivolcs chief

Even as the country is still recovering from the disastrous Bohol quake, Phivolcs director Renato Solidum is already urging the public to prepare for the next big one by strictly following the National Building Code.
In a phone interview, Solidum said that all regions of the Philippines except for Palawan and parts of Sulu and Tawi-tawi are at great risk of earthquakes.
As such, these areas are required by law to follow more stringent rules and requirements set by the National Building Code before constructing buildings and private houses.


Solidum cited the 1990 Luzon earthquake that took close to two thousand lives in Baguio City alone.
“Intensity 8 (iyon), pero mas maraming building ang nakatayo kaysa bumagsak. Ang (matatandaan) lang natin iyong mga bumagsak. Pero kung bibilangin mo, maraming nakatayong building sa Baguio na hindi bumagsak.”
Following the requirements set by the National Building Code is enough to make buildings resilient from ground shaking up to Intensity 8.
But the problem is with compliance.
“Ang issue dito pag nakatayo na yung building, talaga bang sumunod sila sa tamang materyales, tamang disenyo, tamang construction? Sumunod ba sila sa Building Code?” Solidum said.
“We have the technology. We have the building code. What we need to do is follow it,” he stressed.
Many of the buildings, particularly in the nation's densely-populated capital, remain unassessed for physical integrity in the event of strong earthquakes, Solidum warned earlier this year. He said that a big earthquake could hit Metro Manila within our lifetimes.
Preparing Metro Manila
Phivolcs said that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake is due to happen in the West Valley Fault along the eastern side of Metro Manila.
The fault runs from the heights of Sierra Madre down to Laguna. It crosses the eastern side of Quezon City, western side of Marikina, western part of Pasig, eastern part of Makati, parts of Taguig, and Muntinlupa.
Although it isn't easy, people living in houses and buildings sitting directly on top of the fault should consider moving to a safer place.
People who are living on the sides of the fault should make sure that there is at least a five meters between the fault and the house or the building they are living in. If there isn't, then retrofitting should be done.
“Wag mo nang masyadong gamitin yung portion na tatamaan,” Solidum said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is executing a program to build resiliency of hospitals, schools, and public buildings in Metro Manila, Solidum said.
“Pero maliban diyan, pagdating sa isang urban area like Metro Manila, a big part of the potential damage ay sa mga residential buildings.”
Solidum calls for the public to become conscious of the possible disaster and start building the resilience of our own homes.
“Ang hirap pagkatapos ng disaster sa dami ng nasalanta, sa dami ng namamatay. Pero mababawasan ito kung tayo mismong mga private citizen, ay inaayos na rin natin ang ating mga tinutuluyang mga bahay at mga gusali. Otherwise, it will be overwhelming,”