Renato Solidum of Phivolcs has expressed some warnings.
PHIVOLCS – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum has given some warnings regarding the possible quake that may hit Metro Manila.
Undeniably, the series of earthquakes that has recently struck the different parts of the country has caused alarm to the public. There are those who linked it to the possible occurrence of the giant quake tagged as the “Big One”.
Based on a recent report in GMA News, the director of Phivolcs, Renato Solidum, has already given warnings and as well as suggestion with regards to the magnitude 7.2 quake that may hit Metro Manila.
According to the news report, Solidum expressed that the magnitude 7.2 earthquake may take as many as “35,000 lives in the metropolis” alone.
He added that the quake may also take thousands of lives in the provinces adjacent to Metro Manila.
Based on the news report, Solidum, in a meeting with Senators Bam Aquino and Panfilo Lacson, expressed that the estimates of the casualty was reached by Phivolcs through studying Metro Manila’s population density and as well as the condition of the ground.
Sen. Aquino leads the Senate Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTE).
The Phivolcs director showed that the places that are in danger are not only the ones near the fault but even which are far from it as he cited the collapse of the Ruby Tower in 1968.
The said tower can be found in Binondo, Manila. It took more than 200 lives although the earthquake occurred more than 200 kilometers away in Casiguran, Aurora.
Furthermore, Solidum expressed that the houses that should be constructed near the fault line must be “earthquake resistant”.
“Hazard is different from risk,” he said according to the report.
Based on the news report, Sen. Aquino asked Solidum if it would matter if the through the law, there would be a regular checking of the buildings to know their resiliency.
The Phivolcs director answered on the affirmative. He also stressed that there is a need for “specific structural evaluation”.