BUTUAN CITY – Officials and technical men of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) advises against the re-opening of any buildings in Surigao City and Surigao del Norte unless they were checked by engineers.
In an attempt to mitigate the risk brought by the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that caused the crumpling of façade of some buildings or severe cracking on its concrete structures last Feb. 10, 2017, DPWH Assistant Secretary Dimas S. Soguilon, after making a round of inspection with DPWH 13 regional officials and technical men, directed structural engineers to declare in full details the structural condition of all affected public buildings along with an issuance of expert certification.
“The advisory is to seek first full detail inspection by a Structural Engineer with recommendation for repair and rehabilitation or total closure and reconstruction before any public building is re-open for public use,” said Asec. Soguilon.
He added, “This recommendation applies to all private and public buildings, especially schools, hospitals, malls, and terminals that were badly affected because we have observed that the damage may worsen through periodic aftershocks”.
A team of inspectorate from the members of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) and Association of Structural Engineers in the Philippines (ASEP) already arrived in Surigao City on Feb. 13 to assist in the conduct of damage assessment after DPWH Secretary Mark Villar ordered the mobilization of structural engineers to complement the workforce of the government and speeding up the procedure on inspection of various public infrastructures including government buildings. (Mike U. Crismundo)