Cong. Salvador Pleyto. Photo: House of Representatives

With the recent earthquake activity in Myanmar, House Committee on Public Works Vice-Chairman and Bulacan 6th District Congressman Salvador A. Pleyto, Sr. calls on the national and local government units to undertake immediate and decisive inspection of buildings and infrastructures in Metro Manila as part of its full-scale earthquake scenario preparation. 

“As we all know, there is this fear of an occurrence of the so-called the Big One earthquake, with a 7.2 magnitude that could be triggered by the movement of the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault which traverses Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces,” said Congressman Pleyto.

Citing the Metropolitan Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMIERS), Pleyto echoed that the Big One will likely result in a grim scenario with a projected collapse of 170,000 residential houses and death toll reaching approximately 34,000. Furthermore, a significant number of bridges may fall and about 4,615 kilometers of water distribution pipes are expected to suffer breakage.

The MMIERS, jointly conducted by the Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2004, set the scenario at the time the study was conducted. The projection however may have increased over two decades later given the unstoppable growth of high-rise condominiums, hotels and other buildings within mega Manila. 

The assessment corroborated by the Greater Manila Area (GMMA) Risk Analysis Project Report produced a multi-agency team projecting likely the same consequences if a magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes the area.

Pleyto also suggested that government should immediately conduct a nationwide audit of all buildings, especially those constructed before the most modern seismic standards, particularly in high-risk and densely-populated areas where strict compliance with the National Building Code, he said, should be enforced. 

This way, Pleyto said, there will be better allocation of much-needed disaster preparedness and response funds that will greatly increase public awareness on earthquake preparedness and building safety.

With this, the re-electionist lawmaker asks the Department of Public Works and Highway, Metro Manila Development Authority, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Department of Interior and Local Government, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and local government unit as well as other relevant government agencies to work together to inspect buildings and ensure public safety. 

The call also goes out to private stakeholders such as Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers. 

Pleyto is among the principal authors of House Bill Number 8500 or the or the proposed “New Philippine Building Act.”

“We may not prevent natural disasters from happening, but we can somewhat regulate and mitigate the impact of hazards,” Pleyto said.