After the massive earthquake that struck Turkey last week, the local government of Manila has ordered a mass inspection of all public buildings in the city, Ivan Mayrina reported on “24 Oras” on Thursday.
“Kapag may nakita silang critical yung damage nagre -recommend ng steel test, concrete test para ma-determine nila kung yung integrity ng building kaya pang dalhin yung structure,” said Manila City Engineer Armand Andres.
The MMDA also expressed its support for the strict implementation of the land building code, saying there are similarities between Turkey and Metro Manila.
“Madami rin ang mga gusali po dito at high density po ang population sa Metro Manila. We agree po na strict implementation ng national building code ay importante po sa preventing or lessening ang mga building collapse,” said MMDA spokesperson Melissa Carunungan.
According to a report by Ian Cruz, the agency added that 64% of all buildings in Metro Manila were built before the new building code came out.
MMDA estimated that only 36% of the buildings in the area comply with the new building code that can withstand a 7.2 magnitude earthquake or the big one.
With this, MMDA requires the local government units (LGUs) to conduct an inventory of the buildings in their jurisdiction every five years.
Moreover, the MMDA is set to open a disaster preparedness training center as part of preparing for a possible catastrophic earthquake or the “Big One.”
The estimated impact of “The Big One” includes at least 35,000 deaths, 120,000 injuries, and an economic loss reaching P2.5 trillion. — Sherylin Untalan/BM, GMA Integrated News
