Build back better

MANILA, Philippines — US President Biden came up with a good slogan or program tag to describe what we should be doing to rehabilitate damaged infrastructure. Build Back Better captures the idea that we should not just Build Build Build but build better.

However, Build Back Better is not about infrastructure. It is a program aimed to rehabilitate the broken American socio-economic structure.

On the other hand, a recently passed Infrastructure Law will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, ensure every American has access to high-speed internet, tackle the climate crisis and make long overdue improvements for America’s ports, airports, rail, and roads.

In the light of the catastrophic damage caused by Typhoon Odette, we need our own Build Back Better program. It makes no sense to rebuild the public and private infrastructure leveled to the ground by Odette as badly and haphazardly as we always do.

Our Building Code has apparently not been updated enough in the light of climate change. We must also do something about the inability of the local governments to enforce the code. Typhoons and earthquakes always show the foolishness of our ways by wiping out buildings, public and private.

We never learn. Bahala na!

But there is good news. Some tourism infrastructure in Siargao and Bohol that complied with standards were not flattened by Odette.

Architect and environmental planner Jun Palafox sent me a Viber message to say that the Bed and Brew Hostel his architectural group designed in Siargao survived Odette.

“Our architecture and structural design is higher than the building/structural code. The owners and contractor followed our design and specifications… Bed and Brew is now being used as a soup kitchen for survivors.”
Environmental planner Paulo Alcazaren responded to my query on Messenger to say that Be Grand, a resort he designed in Bohol, suffered only slight damage.

“Its main building and resort villas were solidly built. Most of the resort projects I’m involved in are three-star or higher, and they follow the National Building Code (NBC). The NBC admittedly needs some updating though, to withstand stronger earthquakes and wind loads.

“By and large the damage seen in the aftermath of typhoons such as Odette is due to very lightweight structures, shoddy construction, or outright non compliance with NBC stipulations.

“Roof anchoring specifications should be upgraded to match the ever-increasing strength of yearly typhoons. Spotty inspections by building officials of LGUs lead to numerous violations of the NBC... as we saw in the example of Boracay’s deterioration before the government make-over.

“Only Boracay has been ‘fixed,’ but the same cannot be said of Siargao, El Nido, Mindoro and almost all other island resort destinations nationwide.

“Most LGU officials’ default explanation is since they’re small (usually 3rd or 4th class municipalities) they don’t have the capacity or budgets to put in place mitigations or even to police construction of resorts and support buildings (many of the devastated structures are homes of resort workers or commercial buildings housing convenience shops and support services, etc).

“Very little comprehensive planning is done to address proper physical development in terms of support infrastructure (where roads, water, sewage and power lines have to be laid out). DRRM (disaster risk reduction and management) is often a cut and paste section of the CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan) with very little actual implementation of pre-disaster initiatives necessary to achieve actual preparedness.

“Unlike a lot of government officials, we in the planning community were not surprised by what happened. We’re the boys and girls who cry wolf all the time and not get any notice. We all figured this would happen again… it was a when not an if.

“The lessons from Yolanda and Boracay have NOT been learned and the chorus of ‘the Filipinos are a resilient people’ does not help… It only makes Filipinos constantly vulnerable.”

I asked Palafox what he thought of proposed changes to roof structures.

“I agree with the use of dome-type roofing to be typhoon resilient. Another type of resilient roofing shape is the cuatro aguas or the four-sloped type.

“However, the key to the resiliency of the roofing is the structural design of the roof framing system. Parameters include the compliance of wind velocity of 300-315 kph gustiness (depending on areas).

“Also for earthquakes, buildings should be designed between intensity 7-8 (Code standard). Others designed their structures at intensity nine depending on the designer’s safety factor of at least 10 percent to compensate for improper concrete handling and other factors.
“Our design for the building Bed and Brew Hostel was 315 kilometers per hour wind speed gustiness plus 10 percent safety factor.

“For ADB’s newest building, Rockwell’s Rizal Tower, Luna Gardens, Hidalgo Place, Amorsolo, other buildings that I am the architect of record, with other design and engineering consultants, we used performance-based standards, borrowing from the more advanced standards of similarly situated earthquake zone countries.

“NSCP or the National Structural Code of the Philippines was adjusted after Yolanda… we suggested increasing the wind speed/gustiness from originally 220 kph.”

Arnel Casanova, who formerly headed BCDA, recalled in a message to me that “the strength of Yolanda was unexpected. That memory stayed with me and I realized that Category 5 super typhoons will be the norm. Hence, the idea of moving the city to safer grounds (away from the coast and on higher grounds) came to my mind.

“That was the primary reason why I founded Clark Green City. We have to stop reclamations. Sea level rise is real. Storm surges will be a normal occurrence if not yearly.

“Hence, Clark was envisioned to be a back-up capital in case of such a disaster where data centers are also hosted to ensure that government and business will continue to function in such an event.”

So true. Imagine if Odette or Yolanda or a stronger typhoon devastated NCR. The country won’t be able to function normally for months. Is anyone in government even thinking of contingency plans?

Let’s prepare to mitigate the impact of stronger typhoons which are now happening more frequently. We should also build back better!

Boo Chanco’s email address is bchanco@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco