A QUEZON City councilor is batting for the full implementation of the National Building Code to ensure the “structural health” of high-rise buildings and to save a lot of lives in case a powerful earthquake hits the city.
At a media briefing, District 1 Councilor Peter Anthony “Onyx” Crisologo said an “important” provision in the Code has been overlooked for the longest time.
He called on developers, building owners and administrators to comply with the important implementing rules and regulations of the law—to install an optic sensor to keep track of the ground shaking or seismic acceleration and structural integrity of any high-rise building once a major quake occurs due to the movement of the West Valley Fault line traversing various parts of Metro Manila, including Quezon City.
“There are compliant tall buildings, but not all,” he told reporters.
Quezon City, which is four times larger than Manila, is home to many high-rise buildings, including those of media giants GMA Network Inc. and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.
The city’s Department of Building Official “must have multiple computers all hooked up to the Internet and the optic sensors of any tall buildings to be able to closely monitor their structural health, including troubling cracks, during a strong tremor,” Crisologo said.
“The DBO can determine how safe a building is, and if there is a need to completely abandon the place or not. It can also determine the threshold of a building’s capacity to withstand the quake’s impact,” he said.
“That way, we can save more lives,” the councilor added.
While each imported sensor could cost anywhere from P2 million to P4 million, the Department of Science and Technology and Mapua Institute of Technology have introduced a more affordable prototype, Crisologo said.
“One prototype is now being piloted and used in a bridge in Manila,” he added.
As one of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers board of directors, Crisologo feared a devastating quake could strike anytime, saying developers, and building owners and administrators must be prepared “just like the Boy Scouts.”
“A resolution must be filed to cement the implementation of this important provision,” he said.