DENR wants earthquake masterplan for Metro revisited

MANILA, Philippines — The government needs to revisit the earthquake masterplan in case the “Big One” hits Metro Manila.

In a chance interview before the weekend, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said that while it is the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council who can determine the country’s preparedness in case a magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked the metropolis, there is a need to review the masterplan. 

“There was a plan that was released in 2016 under vice admiral (Alexander) Pama who was then the chief of OCD. We need to update (the plan) as there were many changes in the city as well,” Loyzaga said.

“We need to understand how many had actually been retrofitted based on that particular study and what is our capacity to handle everything, from industrial chemical fire that was part of the scenario to the health, water and food security needs plus our evacuation plans. We need to revisit these,” she added.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Teresito Bacolcol has said that the West Valley Fault is ripe for a major quake, as the last time the fault moved was in 1658.

He added that the fault has an earthquake recurrence interval of 400 to 600 years.

The Phivolcs official has warned that at least 34,000 deaths and 114,000 injuries are expected if Metro Manila will be hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which the fault is capable of generating.

Intensity 8 is expected to be felt in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in a 7.2 magnitude quake. The extent of damage will depend on the distance to the epicenter, according to Bacolcol.