FOLLOWING successive earthquakes in Mindanao, President Duterte directed local government units (LGUs) across the country to conduct an immediate inspection of buildings within their respective jurisdictions. We need to ensure the integrity of structures to withstand earthquakes.
It’s a good call. We have long been reiterating the importance of evaluating the structural integrity of critical structures – bridges, roads, heritage churches, hospitals, public buildings, private and government establishments, etc. — as a proactive measure against earthquake disasters.
It is a must, too, that we immediately revisit our construction standards, codes and practices. We must examine them now and correct any deficiencies.
The evaluation and retrofitting of infrastructure in the country, especially hospitals, schools and bridges, must be done regularly to ensure that they can withstand strong earthquakes. A guidebook on the promotion of disaster mitigation, which was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), revealed that the cost of disaster-proofing a hospital or health facility by incorporating comprehensive disaster protection from earthquake and extreme climatic events into designs from the beginning will only add four percent to the cost of construction. This cost is nothing compared to the risk of destruction and death of patients and staff during a disaster, and the equally high health, economic and development impacts in the aftermath.
We should likewise ensure that our homes and offices, shopping malls and public buildings, and heritage sites are able to withstand strong earthquakes. We must ensure proper and safe construction.
We cannot predict when an earthquake will occur, therefore, we must always be prepared. The best protection against earthquakes is sound engineering practice.
