EDITORIAL - Corruption and disasters

With another strong earthquake hitting Luzon yesterday, people are reminded again about the magnitude 6.1 earthquake centered in Castillejos, Zambales on April 22 that left at least 18 people dead.

Most of the fatalities died at the Chuzon Supermarket in Porac, Pampanga. The four-story structure – one of several branches of the supermarket in the province – was seen on video footage swaying wildly before crumpling. 

Unless more earthquakes strike in the coming days, however, the country will be fully preoccupied with the homestretch of the campaign for the midterm elections. And the urgency of checking the structural integrity of buildings could dissipate. There is a danger that some of those tasked to conduct the checking may return to their old ways, finding no harm in certifying the structural integrity of buildings even without proper inspection – as long as the price is right.

Corruption is a problem bedeviling enforcement of building safety standards, according to urban planner Felino Palafox. Building owners, contractors and property developers know this, the architect said. Red tape designed into processes is one of the reasons. Delays add to construction costs, forcing many to resort to the payment of so-called facilitation fees. 

Building codes and other safety laws in the Philippines follow international standards. But the country has always had a problem with enforcement of laws. Local government units now require buildings that are at least 15 years old to get certification for structural integrity. LGUs must ensure that those behind the issuance of the certification can be identified in case there is another incident like the collapse of the Chuzon Supermarket.

Seismologists have warned that the country has numerous undetected faults that could trigger powerful earthquakes like the two recent ones. With the recent quakes, and seismologists warning that the West Valley Fault is ripe for the Big One, both the national and local governments should be giving priority to earthquake resilience measures. Palafox believes buildings that are at least 25 years old should undergo structural audit.

Earthquakes strike without warning and can cause grievous loss of lives and property. Efforts to improve emergency response and mitigation should be accompanied by measures to prevent corruption. Any person found tainting the measures with graft must face the full force of the law.