MANILA: The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) has reiterated the importance of engineering solutions and compliance with Republic Act 6541 or the National Building Code as part of earthquake preparedness and mitigation efforts.

‘I will say it again. Engineering solutions and compliance with the building code are the best preparedness measures for earthquakes. We really need to improve our efforts for these alongside other measures,” OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said in a statement over the weekend.

He also stressed the need to ensure that buildings and facilities are resistant to strong earthquakes.

‘Again, let us be reminded of the casualty projection for the magnitude 7.2 earthquake generated by the West Valley Fault. At least 30,000 to 48,000 individuals might die in the Greater Metro Manila Area. This is a very clear indication that there are a lot of things that we must do to advance our preparedness for earthquakes,’ he added.

The OCD chief, meanwhile, extended his sympathies to
the people of Taiwan which was rocked by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on April 3, killing nine people and injuring more than 900 persons.

‘While we are seeing reports of the impacts of the said earthquake, undeniably, Taiwan’s preparedness improved a lot through the years. So much importance was put on interventions for earthquake-resistant buildings,” Nepomuceno said.

The tremor is the strongest to hit the island in 25 years, since the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in 1999 which killed 2,400 and injured 10,000 individuals.

“The reported deaths and injuries caused by the recent earthquake are much lesser compared to the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit their country in 1999. That is exactly the reason why we, in the Philippines, need to reinforce our measures, especially engineering solutions. We need to take action to minimize the possible effects of strong earthquakes, primarily, in terms of casualties,’ Nepomuceno said.

Source: Philippines News Agency