Is PH ready? Senators set inquiry

MANILA, Philippines—Pointing out that a 7-magnitude temblor could kill tens of thousands in Metro Manila, senators are opening an inquiry into the government’s preparedness for earthquake and tsunami.

The Senate committees on environment and climate change are holding a hearing on Wednesday on the status of the risk reduction and management plans of national and local government agencies, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

“The Japan earthquake was preceded by a destructive 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, thus there are some who raised the possibility that a powerful earthquake happening in the Philippines could not be far behind,” Zubiri said in Resolution No. 426 seeking the inquiry.

He chairs the committee on environment and natural resources.

In the wake of the disasters in Japan, President Benigno Aquino III Monday ordered government officials to review the country’s preparedness to deal with earthquakes and tsunamis.

“The President ordered a review of our tsunami and earthquake preparedness,” Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said.

He said Mr. Aquino was expecting to be briefed on the results of the review by the Office of the Civil Defense this week.

Earthquake preparedness

Sen. Loren Legarda said that the Senate should look into the state of earthquake preparedness of Metro Manila, and the actions taken to reduce the earthquake risk.

Such a review, she said, was critical in view of the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMIERS) which said that a big inland 7.2-magnitude earthquake could happen anytime in the metropolis as an offshoot of the movement of the West Valley Fault.

Scale of devastation

The study provided a glimpse of the devastation wrought by such a powerful quake: 169,000 homes destroyed, and 340,000 other homes damaged; collapse of seven bridges, and the resulting deaths of 34,000 people, and injuries to 114,000 others, she said.

The ensuing fires would result in an additional 18,000 fatalities, while power and telephone lines would be interrupted, Legarda added.

“Given this, may I pose this question to all: Are we prepared to respond to this national crisis scenario? To all national and local leaders: Are we doing all we can to lessen the possible losses from this likely earthquake event? Have we acted upon the key recommendations of the report?” she said in a privilege speech.

The study, jointly undertaken by Japan International Coordinating Agency, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, was aimed at formulating a master plan for reducing earthquake impact in the metropolis, according to Legarda.

Citing the results of the 2004 study, architect Felino Palafox said the Philippines was not ready for a major quake.

Analysis paralysis

Palafox said Metro Manila lacked rescue and evacuation facilities to cope with such a major disaster. More worrisome was the study’s claim that a major fault line transecting the city was approaching its “active phases,” he said.

“That was in 2004 but our government agencies have not acted on it. There seems to be an analysis paralysis,” he said.

The study’s chief recommendation was to enhance the legal framework and institutional capacity for disaster risk management in Metro Manila. In particular, the report recommended the passage of a comprehensive law on disaster risk reduction and management.

“However, the required action by the local government units and other agencies of government on the other key recommendations must be monitored and their progress reviewed if we truly mean business,” Legarda said.

State of tsunami warning

Legarda, chair of the climate change committee, also pointed to the need for the Senate to inquire into the state of our early warning systems for tsunami.

“Moreover, we must examine the capacity of our local communities to implement disaster risk reduction measures, especially in the barangays, toward strengthening local capacity to prevent and prepare for any disasters,” she said.

In his resolution, Zubiri said it would be timely for Congress to revisit the status of the comprehensive National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP) whose implementation was spelled out in the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.

Nearly a year after the enactment of the law, “it is very timely for Congress and our people to be informed of the status and implementation of the country’s NDRRMP,” he said.

Testing of food imports

Malacañang said the authorities would soon check food imports from Japan for radiation.

“As a precaution, imports from Japan, mostly foodstuffs, will be checked for levels of radiation,” Carandang said.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) was capable of testing products for radiation by taking samples of incoming imports.

Lacierda said the PNRI did this in 1986 when a meltdown happened in Chernobyl, a nuclear plant in the Ukraine.

He pointed out that Hong Kong was already taking this precaution.

At a separate briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the “first and foremost” concern of the government and Mr. Aquino was the safety of Filipinos in Japan and the monitoring of its nuclear plants. With a report from Philip C. Tubeza