UP Diliman buildings under inspection after Luzon quake

Students evacuate Plaridel Hall, which houses the College of Mass Communication, at the UP Diliman campus shortly after a magnitude 6.1 quake shook several parts of Luzon on Monday, April 22, 2019. ( Photo by NESTOR CORRALES / INQUIRER.NET)

MANILA, Philippines — Chancellor Michael Tan of the University of the Philippines ordered the inspection of all buildings, including dormitories, in the 493-hectare campus of the state university in Diliman, Quezon City, shortly after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook several parts of Luzon on Monday afternoon.

“All academic buildings and dorms have been checked in the past, but another inspection is ongoing to check for possible damages from the earthquake,” Tan told the INQUIRER on Tuesday.

On Monday, the UP Diliman Campus Maintenance Team already cleared Kalayaan Residence Hall, the dormitory exclusively for freshmen, for earthquake-related risks.

The UP Diliman campus houses 12 student dormitories and 167 academic and administrative buildings.

Inside the university are old cultural buildings, such as the University Amphitheater, the Carillon Tower and Plaza, the Oblation Plaza, the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, the Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, the UP Main Library, and the University Theater Complex.

“We can’t predict which buildings are more prone [to earthquakes], but older buildings are often very sturdy. Our priority in inspection is based on use. So dorms come first,” the chancellor said. “But we also have building administrators looking for signs of damage like cracks.”

Tan suspended classes in the university at all levels on Tuesday because of the risk of aftershocks and a need to check all buildings for possible damage by the earthquake.

/atm