THE RECENT 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar, claiming over 1,700 lives and injuring thousands more, is a sobering wake-up call for Western Visayas. While the tremor was felt as far as Thailand and southwest China, the contrast in damage between countries lay not in proximity to the epicenter but in preparedness. Buildings in Thailand stood firm; those in Myanmar crumbled.
The deciding factor? Strict enforcement of building standards.
Here at home, the question looms large: Are the buildings in Western Visayas built to survive a similar catastrophe?
According to the Office of Civil Defense Region 6 as reported by this paper yesterday, the answer remains uncertain — and unsettling. Director Raul Fernandez rightly stressed that while new constructions must comply with the Building Code, the bigger and often overlooked challenge lies in retrofitting existing structures.
Western Visayas is not immune to strong quakes. The region has its own tragic history to remember — the 7.8-magnitude Lady Caycay earthquake of 1948 remains one of the strongest in Philippine records. Yet, decades later, only Iloilo City has taken the initiative to inventory its buildings – and just every few years at that – to assess structural integrity. The rest of the region lags behind, putting lives at unnecessary risk.
Retrofitting should not be seen as mere technical upgrade. It is a life-saving intervention that can mean the difference between survival and tragedy. Schools, hospitals, government offices, and commercial buildings all house people whose safety depends on the strength of the structures around them. Unfortunately, many older buildings in the region were built before stricter codes were implemented — and have never been reassessed.
Yes, retrofitting requires investment, technical expertise, and political will. But so does rebuilding from rubble and mourning unnecessary loss of life. A proactive approach is always more cost-effective than disaster response and recovery.
This is not a call to panic — it is a call to act. Local government units must move beyond lip service and prioritize retrofitting programs in their annual budgets. National agencies must provide technical and financial support, especially to poorer municipalities. Building owners — both public and private — should view safety upgrades not as expenses, but as moral obligations.
Time and again, nature reminds us of our vulnerability. But it also offers us the opportunity to prepare. Western Visayas must not wait for its own “Big One” to realize the importance of structural safety. Retrofitting is not an option. It is a necessity — one that could very well determine who lives and who doesn’t when the ground begins to shake.
