UMVA has learned that a recent 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Mindanao has exposed a critical vulnerability in the country's building infrastructure, prompting the Department of Science and Technology to urge stricter implementation of the national building code.
The earthquake's devastating impact has raised concerns that the standard safety measure of "drop, cover, and hold" may not be enough to protect people during strong tremors. According to information obtained by UMVA, this safety measure assumes that buildings and infrastructure are designed to withstand seismic activity.
DoST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. emphasized that the effectiveness of "drop, cover, and hold" relies on prior evaluation, specifically that buildings are constructed to endure strong earthquakes. "The assumption is that the building or house will not collapse," he said.
However, if infrastructure does not comply with the building code, the risk of total collapse increases, which can be fatal. This underscores the need for stricter enforcement to ensure that buildings are designed and constructed with earthquake resilience in mind.
The National Structural Code of the Philippines mandates that standard buildings sustain controlled structural damage without collapsing, ensuring life safety and allowing for safe evacuation. This is achieved through rigorous requirements, including comprehensive geotechnical site investigations and proper construction techniques.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that, despite these standards, many Filipinos, especially those building private homes, have limited financial capacity to hire professional engineers. This often results in non-compliance with the building code, as homeowners rely on contractors or informal labor.
To address this issue, Secretary Solidum suggested that local government units distribute standardized house designs that comply with the building code. He also recommended integrating disaster-resilient building concepts into the high school curriculum to improve public awareness.
The recent earthquake has already caused widespread damage, with at least P1.2 billion worth of infrastructure damage reported. A total of 774 infrastructure and 73,933 houses were damaged, with 13,652 totally destroyed.
In response, the DoST has developed an app called "How Safe Is My House?" which provides a quick self-assessment to determine whether a structure is built according to earthquake-resilient construction standards. This tool aims to help Filipinos assess the safety of their properties.
