How infrastructure corruption puts people at risk
MANILA, Philippines — The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu has left many of the province’s vital infrastructure unstable or worse—in ruins.
During the earthquake’s onslaught, the San Remegio Sports Complex partially collapsed, killing five people: four uniformed personnel and a child. Many netizens were quick to point out that such an infrastructure should have been able to withstand a strong quake, with some suspecting that the building was substandard.
After all, sacked Department of Public Works (DPWH) engineer Brice Hernandez admitted that all of the buildings they made were likely substandard because of corruption. Hernandez said that prices of materials were often inflated and they would buy cheaper ones.
Such issues become more magnified in the face of natural calamities like the earthquake that struck Cebu.
Engineer Christian Orozco, an associate professor for civil engineering at the University of the Philippines, said that it would be impossible to tell if the devastated structures in Cebu were a product of corruption without a full inspection and probe, but emphasized that corruption indeed affected public safety.
“Our building codes are developed to make sure structures can withstand specific hazards, such as a certain level of ground shaking during earthquakes or wind speeds during typhoons. If projects are built below standard, the integrity of these structures is compromised. This can lead to possible failures like building collapse or road and bridge damage which in turn puts countless lives at risk,” Orozco told Philstar.com.
Orozco said that corruption has a twofold impact.
The first was a financial aspect, therein costs were inflated for projects. This wasted public funds that could have funded better-quality projects, Orozco said.
The second was that structural integrity was being put at risk.
“When standards are compromised for profit or convenience, the end result is infrastructure that is unsafe and unable to serve its intended purpose,” Orozco said.
The prime example of this is the series of ghost projects that have been exposed.
While it would be difficult to spot signs of corruption at first glance, Orozco said it was important to watch out for things like overpriced project costs, structures that show immediate deterioration despite being new, and recurring reports of non-compliance. When standards are compromised for profit or convenience, the end result is infrastructure that is unsafe and unable to serve its intended purpose.
In Cebu’s case, a post-audit of the buildings is needed to assess if corruption had a hand in the widespread corruption.
“Earthquakes tend to expose the weaknesses of structures, whether from poor design, inadequate materials, or corruption in implementation. A transparent, independent technical evaluation is the only way to confirm whether corruption contributed to the damage observed in Cebu, and it is essential to ensure accountability and rebuild public trust,” Orozco said.
But this does not just apply in Cebu post-quake, he explained. Following the DPWH’s admission that many of its projects were probably substandard, Orozco said it was best to assess existing infrastructure, especially when preparing for disasters like “The Big One”.
This means structural audists, retrofitting, and routine monitoring.
“For new construction projects, it is important to strengthen oversight across all stages (design, procurement, and construction) to guarantee that technical standards are strictly followed. Independent quality assurance, transparent bidding processes, and strict accountability mechanisms must be institutionalized,” Orozco said.
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