We're a disaster waiting to happen

Reading those disaster readiness reports over the past few days has led me to think that we are a disaster waiting to happen. No, make that a disaster that is already happening. And it all brings us back to the need for good governance at all levels of government and an equally urgent need for civic consciousness that would put public safety above extra profits for the private business sector.

Among the most basic of recommendations in those studies is a strict implementation of the building code that takes into account the various fault lines that could trigger devastating earthquakes. While it is true that we now have a tough building code, it is safe to assume that its implementation is pretty spotty.

One sample recommendation is simple enough: Curb corruption in building construction and inspection. This means curbing corruption in the processing of permits and a no-nonsense and corruption-free monitoring of compliance with building regulations. Anyone who has dealt with City Halls on these matters will probably just shake his head and laugh or cry.

Privately built buildings like condominiums and malls can also kill large numbers of people in a natural calamity. There are enough property developers who are just in for fast money. Ruby Towers, a condominium that collapsed in the late 60s after an earthquake, comes to mind.

It has also been pointed out that there are existing structures that have been constructed before the new building code was enacted and therefore did not take into account earthquake fault maps in the design. The code is silent on what to do with old buildings. Provisions of the code can only be made to apply to these old structures if there would be a renovation or expansion.

It would be up to the sense of responsibility of the building owners to retrofit their properties to enhance public safety. Since that entails expense, incentives could be made to encourage voluntary compliance. But in cases where public safety is a paramount concern like a school building, a hospital, a mall or a theater, compulsory compliance with the new stringent requirements of the Code should be imposed.

The other thing we should be doing is implement our zoning laws. I realize that would be difficult to do in the heavily built up metropolis like Metro Manila but we should at the very least not aggravate the already significant problem. Violations of zoning laws compromise safety of people in an area. For example, many LGUs in the metro area are allowing the building of rather tall structures in vicinities that are clearly zoned for residential or at worse, commercial.

The recent travails of the Wack Wack community reported in a business daily come to mind. The 34-story AMA Tower Residences on Edsa and Fordham Street—right outside the Wack Wack Village in Mandaluyong City shouldn’t have even been considered.

According to reports, the Mandaluyong government initially refused to grant a building permit on the ground that the proposed construction far exceeded the six-story limit provided for in the National Building Code for buildings in the so-called C-2 (commercial) Zone. But a judge from Muntinglupa ordered the Mandaluyong City engineer to issue a building permit within seven days or be cited for contempt of court. The case is now with the Court of Appeals.

What we have here is a case where even the judiciary must be made aware of the consequences of such decisions on the quality of our environment and eventually, the safety of our people. Zoning restrictions are there to enhance the public good and unless changed by the proper executive authority after public consultations, these rules ought to be respected. What is worrisome here is the thought that if zoning rules are relaxed to favor anyone, it would be as easy to relax building code rules that are even more serious life and death issues.

The other recommendation in the disaster mitigation studies have to do with informal settlers. P-Noy has already announced early in his administration that he has assigned DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo the task of seeking a solution to this problem. We experience heavy casualties every time there are floods, fires and landslides because of the dense living situation and make shift character of building structures in squatter communities.

Given the condition of our economy and our level of economic development, this is one tough problem. There are also too many people benefiting from the continuation of the squatter problem, from the slum lords to the petty politicians that make an honest solution almost beyond reach. But it must be dealt with unless we are ready to see a Haiti in our midst. Months after that earthquake, the capital city Port-au-Prince is still pretty much on disaster mode.

Of course there is the need for all levels of government to be ready to respond to disasters. At the national level, we hopefully have learned from the lessons of Ondoy when national government response left much to be desired. On the local level, Albay Governor Joey Salceda has led the way in institutionalizing the measures that local government units must put in place to meet emergency needs.

Then there is the need to encourage consciousness among the people that makes them ready to moderate the risks and to respond on their own to common disasters in our country. As a presentation on the JICA study puts it, we need to inculcate a disaster mitigation culture in future generations. It was amazing to see how prepared the Japanese people were, even psychologically, in meeting the challenge of a devastating natural calamity.

In our setting, the barangay plays an important role. Barangay officials are in the best position to organize community-based disaster management activities. Republic Act No. 10121, or the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010,” requires barangay officials to be equipped with technical knowledge and planning skills since they would be part of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO).

But how ready are they? Do they really have the training? Do they have the proper equipment? Or just bahala na?

There is no doubt we ought to take disaster preparedness seriously. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte was wrong to call Jun Palafox an alarmist. Jun was one concerned citizen who actually took the additional steps of crafting his recommendations based on the JICA and other studies. He also took the effort to send these to P-Noy and he was making noise because he was not honored with a reply nine months after.

In fact, if we had more Jun Palafoxes in our communities, we would have a strong citizen force that is not only conscious of the dangers to our lives and limbs arising from natural calamities but are also ready to act on their own or with the support of government.

No, we are not a disaster waiting to happen. We are a disaster in progress. It is just a question of how much pain we are willing to suffer and for how long. Luckily or not, we Pinoys have a high tolerance for pain. No wonder to complain about the sad state of things unfortunately, makes you an alarmist. And yes, bahala na ang Diyos!

DFA, OFWs

I received this e-mail from reader Manuel Cantos in reaction to past column topics.

DFA & OFWs, policy & the Migrant Workers Act do not envision perpetual overseas job placement, although this now seems to be the case if you take the mid-70s as starting point.

On seafarers, we can’t make it 100% from 25%, given the numerous sub-standard maritime schools, which CHED can’t close due to interference from Senators, Representatives, Governors & Mayors. CHED during GMA’s time, did not have Malacanang support.

Re Cabinet Department for OFWs, you may have to split DOLE into two, taking POEA & OWWA, & remove OFWs from DFA’s portfolio. But you should also need to abolish one Cabinet position, e.g., DOT, turning it into a gov’t corp, e.g., Tourism Authority of Thailand.

On remittances, the one-fifth (20%) of GDP estimate from overseas workers remittances is an overstatement. It’s actually half of that, i.e., between 9-10%.

Singapore puffs

Got this text message.

In Singapore, P-Noy and his party of hangers-on had to climb 24 flights of stairs, which left them huffing and puffing… after all they have not exerted any physical exercise more strenuous than tying up people in red tape.

At the water treatment plant, they were exposed for what they are… as mere social climbers.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. He is also on Twitter @boochanco