LGUs urged to be strict on high-rise structures

MANILA, Philippines — A climate expert has called on local government units (LGUs) to be more strict in approving the construction of high-rise structures in their respective areas.

Glenn Banaguas, executive director of the Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute, said LGUs should ensure that high-rise structures are safe and pose no danger to their occupants during times of natural calamities like supertyphoons and earthquakes.

Banaguas said LGUs should reject the construction of a high-rise structure if it doesn’t adhere to the safety provisions prescribed by law.

“Aside from identifying the most vulnerable areas and most at risk, it is also significant to check the quality of our buildings,” he said.

Banaguas said that high-rise structures should withstand supertyphoons with maximum winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour.

He said LGUs should be more strict in granting building permits. They should also be more cautious that only high-standard materials are used in high-rise structures.

Banaguas said the reported prevalence of substandard steel products in the market was a major concern.

To ensure the safety of quench tempered steel in the market, Banaguas said it had to be tested more.

“It has to undergo a series of tests because we cannot say this is OK or this is not OK. It has to be based on science so we can say if it’s really OK or not,” he said.