Abby Binay wants land titles to disclose if property lies on fault line

ANTIPOLO, RIZAL —Senatorial bet and outgoing Makati City Mayor Abby Binay on Friday suggested that land titles should indicate if the property lies on a fault line. 

Binay made the proposal as Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidates were asked about the measures they plan to file to prevent the destruction of properties in case of earthquakes following the recent jolt in Myanmar. 

“Gusto ko sana is ma-annotate sa title for buyers to be aware that the property that they’re buying ay dumadaan sa fault line,” Binay said. 

“Mayroon naman na tayong equipment na nakakapagsabi. We don’t need more laws, what we really need is strict implementation. Because at the end of the day alam naman natin kung saan nga dumadaan ang fault line pero consciously, blindly we ignore the facts that our constituents and ‘yung residenteng nakatira doon sa danger zone na ‘yon,” she pointed out. 

Citing her experience in Makati City, Binay lamented that there were families who chose to stay in their residences even though they were aware that they lived near a fault line. 

“We have informed them and consciously alam nila nasa fault line sila. Pero kailangan natin ng political will kung aalisin sila doon sa lugar kung saan sila nakatira dahil hindi naman natin nape-predict ‘yung earthquake,” she said. 

“Unfortunately, ‘yong mga tao na ang bahay ay nakatungtong sa fault line ay sumusugal sa kanilang mga buhay hindi nila alam kung ito na ba ‘yong katapusan nila dahil again hindi natin alam kung dadating ‘yung earthquake,” she added. 

Senatorial candidate and ACT CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo also raised the need to pass a law that will allow authorities to relocate people living in disaster-prone areas. 

“We really have to talk about it in Congress, in the Senate…It is high time that we pass a law na bitbitin natin…alisin ‘yong tao doon sa bahay niya kasi para sa kanya ring safety at family niya. We don’t have a law life that ‘di ba,” Tulfo said. 

“‘Yang pagputok ng mga Taal Volcano ayaw umalis ng mga tao ‘di ba kailangang puwersahin pa talaga kailangang kaladkarin makakasuhan naman ‘yong pulis makakasuhan ‘yong military, we really have to siguro pag-aralan na. It’s high time na may batas tayo na ganito,” he added. 

Meanwhile, reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino and former Senator Panfilo Lacson both proposed amendments to the decades-old National Building Code. 

“‘Yung pag sulong sa pagbabago ng national building code, priority po dapat ‘yon. Kasi noong araw hindi pa pinaguusapan ‘yang shear wind, hindi pa pinaguusapan ‘yang mga glass panels, hindi pa pinaguusapan ‘yong more than 30 stories… Hindi pa ganon kataas, ibig sabihin marami na pong pagbabago sa teknolohiya na dapat akma din sa ating National Building Code,” Tolentino said. 

Lacson said the amendments to the National Building Code should incorporate what he calls a “National Hazard Mapping” which identifies the areas that are prone to storm surge, earthquake, and volcano eruption. 

“Dapat naka-ready doon sa building code kung saan kung hindi man masyadong grabe yong magiging epekto at least magre-reinforce para magkaroon tayo ng standard ng pagtatayo ng building o ‘yong number of floors or storeys na pwedeng payagan lang,” he said.

“Ganon ka-complicated, especially ang Pilipinas talagang marami tayong forms of hazards na dapat harapin natin hindi lang earthquake kundi napakarami pa,” he added. —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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