20 Metro Manila buildings may be unsafe, says DPWH

At least 20 buildings in Metro Manila, some of which are schools, may be unsafe based on preliminary ocular inspections by the Public Works department. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Victor Domingo said 60 structures had been inspected and a third of these had been placed under "urgent detailed evaluation." "Of the 60 buildings, 20 had been demolished and replaced, 20 others had been retrofitted, while demolition or retrofitting is underway for the remaining 20," he said. Among the structures that may be unsafe are the Doña Maxima Blas and Rodriguez buildings, both in Malabon City; MCF building in Marikina City; C. Bautista and Rodriguez buildings in Navotas; and MSA and Canumay West in Valenzuela City. The school buildings that reportedly cannot withstand a strong earthquake are the Andres Bonifacio Integrated School in Mandaluyong City; Araullo High School in Manila; Navotas Polytechnic College; and Kalayaan High School main building in Pasay City. "Based on our recent building inspection, major cracks were visible on their wall partitions, beams, girders and floor slabs. There [was also evidence] of torsion, vertical and plan irregularities," said Emmanuel Cuntapay, DPWH National Building Code Development Office executive director. The DPWH said the buildings were vulnerable to tremors since most of these were built in the 1990s or earlier. The buildings, it added, had not been designed to withstand an earthquake. According to a 2002 study funded by the Japanese government, if a magnitude 7-9 quake triggered by the West Valley fault line (formerly called the Marikina fault line) hits Metro Manila today, it could be "unlike any tragedy seen or imagined in Metro Manila." The West Valley fault line is one of three cutting across Metro Manila. The other two are the Manila Bay and Manila Trench fault lines. The last big earthquake that hit Metro Manila and the rest of central and northern Luzon in July 1990 killed 1,700 people. Cuntapay clarified that they have yet to validate whether the 20 remaining "unsafe" structures should really be included in the list. "Iyong inilabas [na list], second opinion lang iyon. Ibibigay pa sa amin iyon at iba-validate namin (The report released was only a second opinion and we still have to verify the results)," Cuntapay told GMANews.TV. He said the 20 structures had been declared unsafe based on ocular inspections. "They were declared as such only because of the absence of a design plan during inspection," he said. Cuntapay said they would be bringing in on Wednesday various instruments including X-ray machines to check if the 20 buildings were indeed unsafe. The task force will also inspect more buildings inside universities and hospitals. He said Task Force Building Inspection, headed by DPWH Assistant Secretary Raul Asis, would finish the validation process in two months. Unsafe bridges Meanwhile, DPWH Undersecretary Romeo Momo said at least three bridges in Metro Manila have yet to undergo retrofitting — strengthening a bridge's foundation by driving additional piles and reinforcing its columns — and thus pose a risk. In a phone interview, Momo identified the bridges as Osmeña Bridges 1 and 2, and Jesus Bridge, all along the South Superhighway. Momo said the bridges had been constructed more than 30 years ago. “These bridges are recommended for reconstruction based on inspections conducted. They are [no longer] suitable for heavy vehicles," DPWH engineer Jose Balite said in a separate phone interview with GMANews.TV. He added that the bridges’ steel bars were already exposed from underneath due to heat from cooking activities of informal settlers under the bridge. According to Momo, the DPWH had sought the Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) permission in 2007 to start reconstruction of the Osmeña Bridge 1, but the request had been turned down because of the heavy traffic that it will cause. “We are reviving [the plans for reconstruction]," Momo said, adding that the bridges were still passable but “need to be reconstructed to prevent further damage." MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes was not immediately available for comment. Domingo has said 33 bridges had already been retrofitted. Among these are Jones, Mac Arthur, Nagtahan, MNDR, and Del Pilar bridges, Bonifacio East and West overpass, all in Manila; Marcos and Ortigas bridges and EDSA-Kamias, and EDSA-Santolan flyovers in Quezon City. Earlier, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that a magnitude 7 earthquake could damage four in 10 residential and 10- to 30-storey buildings, and up to a third of all public buildings in Metro Manila. — with reports from Nikka Corsino and Mark Merueñas/LBG/NPA, GMANews.TV