CBCP fears for safety of churches

A Catholic Church official on Wednesday urged parishes in earthquake danger zones to start looking into the structural integrity of their churches as a safety precaution amid fears that a 100-kilometer fault running through Metro Manila and surrounding provinces could generate a major temblor.

“I enjoin all pastors to look into this matter in the interest of precaution and safety,” said Fr. Jerome Secillano of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs.

“We have to remember that churches are most often the sanctuary, both physically and spiritually, of people who may be affected by calamities or crisis,” he added.

Secillano made the call to parish priests after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) made public a detailed map of the 100-km West Valley Fault that traverses Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite.

Phivolcs also named the barangays (villages) and subdivisions on the active fault line, which can generate an earthquake of up to 7.2 magnitude and cause major damage in Metro Manila.

But Secillano also stressed that the government should not stop at merely identifying these danger zones. He said it must also have a comprehensive program for survival in case a major earthquake occurred in the capital, like it did in Nepal.

37,000 fatalities

Experts have warned that should a strong quake hit Metro Manila, an estimated 20 percent of structures in the Metro would collapse. A 7.2-magnitude temblor would also result in some 37,000 fatalities, seriously injure 140,000, and cause an economic loss of P2.5 trillion, the experts added.

“It’s better for the government to inform the people about such a fault line (rather) than leave them ignorant of the situation,” Secillano said.