Collapsed structures in Mindanao failed to conform to Nat’l Building Code —PHIVOLCS

The structures that collapsed following two successive earthquakes that struck Cotabato last week did not conform to the National Building Code, according to assessments by PHIVOLCS.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday, PHIVOLCS Science Research Supervisor Jeffrey Perez said the common denominator among all the collapsed structures was the use of substandard materials.

“‘Yung isang barangay [na] totally maraming buildings ‘yung nawasak or totally lahat ng bahay ay dumapa, kung titingnan mo, iisang mason lang, iisang karpintero lang gumawa niyan,” he said.

Perez urged contractors and developers to always abide by the National Building Code to ensure the safety of structures during earthquakes.

“Makikita dito na [kung] nag-follow tayo ng Building Code, ‘yung mga structure natin ay nakatayo pa rin dapat siya,” he said.

“Simple lang naman ‘yung sinasabi ng National Building Code: dapat kung Intensity VIII ‘yung earthquake, dapat nakatayo pa rin siya, hindi siya tuluyang babagsak.”

However, Perez noted that the quick succession of earthquakes may have aggravated the damage sustained by the buildings.

Cotabato was jolted by powerful earthquakes on October 16 (magnitude 6.3), October 29 (magnitude 6.6), and October 31 (magnitude 6.5).

“Nagkataon na ngayong pagkakataon na ‘to, nagkaroon ng series of earthquakes, so ‘yung mga partially damaged na structures that time nung unang lindol, pagdating dito sa pangatlong lindol, naging totally damaged na siya. Para siyang nabugbog,” Perez explained.

The PHIVOLCS official clarified that the structures that remained upright after the quakes outnumbered the buildings that collapsed.

Under the National Building Code, a structure is defined as dangerous “whenever any portion thereof has been damaged by fire, earthquake, wind, flood, or by any other cause, to such an extent that the structural strength or the stability thereof is materially less than it was before such catastrophe and is less than the minimum requirements of [the] code for new buildings of similar structures, purpose, or location.” — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News