Pasig to inspect 16 buildings

Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio ordered yesterday a thorough inspection of at least 16 buildings in the city, mostly elementary schools, as a precautionary measure against tremors and other calamities.

Eusebio said the City Engineering Office must look into possible defects in the structures that might pose danger to the public in the aftermath of an earthquake similar to the one that hit Indonesia, where more than 5,000 people were killed.

The mayor issued the order after receiving a report from a building inspection task force of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The report cited three buildings inside the Philippine Sports Arena that need immediate evaluation. Other buildings identified were the elementary schools in Palatiw, Pasig Central, Pineda, Bagong Ilog, Dr. Sixto Antonio, Kalawaan and Oranbo.

At least 1,983 buildings in Metro Manila were inspected by the DPWH task force last month.

"We should take the report very seriously since most of the cited structures are schools. The safety of thousands of students is at stake here," Eusebio said. – Non Alquitran