95 of 113 buildings inspected in Makati structurally safe

MANILA, Philippines — Many of the public and private buildings in the cities of Makati and Muntinlupa have been found to be structurally safe after a 6.1-intensity earthquake hit parts of Luzon on Monday.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay said that of the 113 buildings in the city that had been inspected, 95 were declared safe based on the assessment of inspection teams.

These included all public elementary and secondary schools, the University of Makati, Ospital ng Makati and three city hall buildings.

The remaining 18 buildings, all barangay health centers, would require further evaluation by the city engineer after the inspection team saw visible cracks.

The city government also confirmed there were zero casualties due to the temblor, based on the reports submitted by the Makati Commercial Estate Association, Makati Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and officials of the city’s 33 barangays.

In Muntinlupa City, there were no signs of damage in most of the buildings and structures inspected by the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Minor cracks

The same, however, could not be said of city hall as minor cracks were found in the main building, audiovisual room, annex building and procurement office in Barangay Putatan.

There were also hairline cracks in Plaza Central, the city hall extension building in Barangay Poblacion, particularly on  walls at the second floor and the stairs.

Visible cracks were also seen on the new structures on Centennial Avenue in Barangay Tunasan, including the Muntinlupa City police station and Museo de Muntinlupa.

At Cupang Senior High School in Barangay Cupang, there were cracks on the beams located on the ground floor. There were also minor cracks at Muntinlupa National High School’s senior high school building, Alabang Elementary School and Muntinlupa Business High School-Sucat Annex.

In the business district of Filinvest Alabang, there were no reports of damage to the private business buildings of Somerset, Polaris, Asian Star and Capella.

After Monday’s earthquake, several mayors in Metro Manila ordered an inspection of structures and buildings in their areas to check for signs of damage.

Ongoing inspection at UP

Even University of the Philippines Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan directed a check of  buildings and dormitories on the 493-hectare campus in Quezon City.

“All academic buildings and dorms have been checked in the past but another inspection is ongoing to check for possible damage from the earthquake,” Tan told the Inquirer. —With a report from Mariejo S. Ramos