‘Ensure corruption-free building inspection’

MANILA, Philippines — Experts have urged local government officials to address corruption issues, especially those relating to the inspection of the structural integrity of buildings, to ensure that the structures are inspected and declared safe from major earthquakes.

Urban planner Felino Palafox said some of those who grant permits are bribed to stop further inspections on buildings.

“The contractors, developers and building owners know that some of those giving permits, if you bribe them, they don’t have to review anymore your structural computations. Maybe we should be stricter now in giving building permits,” Palafox said in an interview with The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s One News on Monday night.

The architect said ideally, buildings which are at least 25 years old should undergo structural audit and must be retrofitted if needed.

Erick Sison, national director of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, also told The Chiefs that local governments now require buildings which are at least 15 years old to be certified by engineers as structurally sound.

Sison also said the building codes and standards in the Philippines are at par with other countries.

However, he warned of the apparent laxity in the implementation of the building code and the lack of people’s awareness about it.

“Some (of our) buildings have applied Japan’s standard. It’s all a matter of implementation. In terms of policies, I think we’re at par with other countries,” he said.

Japan, like the Philippines, is also an earthquake-prone country. 

Two strong earthquakes jolted several parts of the country, including Metro Manila, last week. A magnitude 6.1 tremor, which struck Castillejos town in Zambales on April 22, left at least 18 people dead.  

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Sunday warned there are many undetected active faults in the country that could generate strong quakes like the one that hit Zambales.

In a separate interview, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, chairman of the Metro Manila development committee of the House of Representatives, also called for “infrastructure audit” of all public and private buildings “to prevent the loss of lives and limbs.”

He urged agencies like the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Departments of Public Works and Highways and of the Interior and Local Government, and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to act collectively on the matter, underlining the need for a comprehensive audit of all government and private structures to assess and ensure their structural integrity. 

“It is imperative that we immediately determine which buildings in our midst are in danger of falling when we’re hit by an earthquake because they are definitely places of deadly accidents waiting to happen,” Castelo said. 

Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, chair of the House committee on disaster management, also had the same view as she urged the Senate to pass the bill creating the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).

“There is no need to further explain why we need this department now. I strongly advocate for the speedy passage of HB 8165, the bill creating the DDR. This bill has already been approved by the House,” she said in reference to House Bill 8165, which seeks to establish the DDR. 

Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano underscored yesterday the need for government to conduct an assessment of its preparedness for and response efforts to calamities. 

“The most vulnerable members of our population – children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities – should be given the most protection in times of calamities,” she said. – With Delon Porcalla