DOST urges LGUs to help Pinoys make their homes earthquake-resilient

BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has called on local government units to look into the possibility of providing assistance for residents who do not have the financial means to hire civil engineers and help them make their homes earthquake-ready.

During the HANDA Pilipinas 2025 Visayas leg press conference on Monday, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. noted that the top cause of deaths during earthquakes is the collapse of homes and structures.

“If you look at recent events in Cebu and Davao Oriental, some of the buildings collapsed simply at the lower level, top heavy. [It is] poor design. Sometimes, the structures have substandard materials. These are private properties,” shared Solidum.

Based on the latest reports, the Cebu earthquake’s death toll already hit 79 while the Davao death toll has reached 10.

Solidum remarked that while homes should follow an approved earthquake-specific design, around 40% of structures in the country might be “non-engineered” since the owners were unable to afford the services of civil engineers.

He then recommended that LGUs consider providing assistance to help homeowners build their homes according to an ideal earthquake-resilient design to mitigate damage from earthquakes.

“We have to really look at how people are consistent in really following the earthquake-assisted design and making sure this would conform to the code… The ideal design should be following the code,” he shared.

“We are trying to make sure that as much as possible, we have to really look at how people can be assisted in really following earthquake-resilient design and making sure these works conform to the code. Definitely, this would be an implementation at the lower level at the building code,” he added.

He added that the DOST has been actively making efforts to help in infrastructure evaluation for earthquake resilience.

In 2021, the DOST’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology launched the “How Safe is My House?” app to help in self-assessments of one to two storey concrete hollow block houses and buildings in the country.

“The initial result will verify whether your house was properly built and followed appropriate construction procedures and recommended measures or if it will require necessary strengthening,” PHIVOLCS said.

“This test shall lead to a more detailed assessment with assistance from building experts for what the house owners need to know about their houses, allay their fears and confusion, and learn what to do thereafter,” it added.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he believed the National Building Code is holding up in the country’s cities but there is a need to reassess the code and integrity of structures in municipalities. — JMA, GMA Integrated News