No quake damage seen in House buildings at Batasang Pambansa

The Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. (Photo from the Facebook account of the House of Representatives)

MANILA, Philippines — Buildings at the Batasang Pambansa complex did not sustain any damage despite the magnitude 5.9 earthquake off Occidental Mindoro that rocked several parts of Luzon, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I am pleased to report no structural damage to the House of Representatives buildings following the recent earthquake.  Initial assessments made by our Engineering and Physical Facilities Department showed reassuring results that the structural integrity of our facilities and infrastructure is safe and sound,” Velasco said.

After the earthquake was felt in Quezon City, House members and employees were asked to temporarily evacuate the buildings as a precautionary measure.  The plenary session and the committee hearings were delayed for over 30 minutes — from 4:35 p.m. to 5:17 pm — as initial assessments were done.

“We ordered the immediate evacuation to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, officials, House members, and visitors.  The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, is committed to exercising safety protocols and will continue to monitor the situation,” Velasco noted.

According to the latest bulletin from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the epicenter of the magnitude 5.9 tectonic earthquake was located 18 kilometers northeast of Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro, at a relatively shallow depth of 60 kilometers.

Phivolcs said that Intensity IV was felt in Quezon City, where the House complex sits.