What documents were affected by the DPWH-BRS Building fire?

The fire that broke out at the Bureau of Research Standards (BRS) building of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Quezon City sparked speculations that documents related to the flood control mess may have been destroyed for good.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, however, said that all documents related to the investigation are already protected in the DPWH Central Office, adding that the BRS building fire will not affect the ongoing probe.

Meanwhile, DPWH officer-in-charger Undersecretary Lara Esquibil said the “BRS is the main bureau that conducts the research for new materials that would undergo pilot studies.”

Esquibil gave a rundown of the types of documents affected by the fire incident:

Standards Development Division 

• ASTM References
• ACI References
• JICA Manual
• DGCS
• Standards Specifications of Pay Items

Technical Services Division

• Calibrations Reports 2022-present
• Soil & Rock Reclassification Reports 2022-present
• Tech Specs Certification DO 100 2022-present
• Materials Sources Reports 2022-present
• Field Testing Reports 2022-present 
• Procurement (of office supplies/equipment, consultancy) 2019-onwards
• Inventory Reports 2022-present
• Training Related Documents 2019-present
• Pilot Research Projects 2015-present
• TSD Personnel Personal Files 

Materials Testing Division

• Training Certificates for ISO 17025
• Training Materials for Materials Testing Technology and Laboratory Technician Course
• Star rating reports for Regional and District Materials Testing Laboratories
• Requests and reports for inspection of testing laboratories and batching plants
• Requests and reports for technical evaluation of laboratory equipment
• Calibration Reports of MTD Equipment

Esquibil said other documents affected were various correspondence, Quality Management System Compliance Documents, personnel’s personal files, as well as their belongings.

“We have reports that all of these are scanned and 100% backed up…,” she said.

The BFP-National Capital Region said the fire was reported at 12:39 p.m. and reached the third alarm at 12:56 p.m. 

At least 25 fire trucks responded to the scene. Fire out was declared at 1:34 p.m. --VAL, GMA Integrated News