MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered for the immediate inspection of all buildings in Mindanao following series of earthquakes that has now claimed 22 lives.
“Well, it is time for the LGUs (local government units) to inspect all — all buildings. Umpisahan na nila ngayon. The earthquake season has come. I don’t know if it will occur again between now and tomorrow,” Duterte said in statement.
The damages to infrastructure following the series of quakes have convinced the Palace that it was “high time” to amend Republic Act 6541, or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
“We are also calling on the legislature to amend the National Building Code to avoid further structural danger during natural disasters,” said Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar in a statement.
According to Andanar, it’s high time to revamp and tighten this outdated law as its current framework is very lax.
“Let us not wait for a disaster to happen before we become strict in granting building permits,” he stressed./PN
