DOST boosts efforts to strengthen ‘lifeline structures’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology has tapped University of the Philippines experts to help in the ongoing structural inspection of some 60 so-called “lifeline structures” in Metro Manila to ensure their integrity during calamities in preparation for the so-called “Big One” earthquake in Metro Manila.

Eric Paringit, executive director of the DOST Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), said the concrete petrography project being implemented by UP National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) was one of the disaster resilience projects initiated and funded by the department last year.

“We want to check the structural integrity of new and old buildings by zeroing in on the cement composition in these structures. By using petrography, we can check on the chemical composition of the cement and check on their capability to withstand stress during calamities particularly earthquakes,” Paringit told The STAR.

The project, Paringit said, was started after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that hit Central Luzon and Metro Manila last April, where a number of buildings collapsed particularly in Pampanga.

PCIEERD’s engineer Carluz Bautista, program manager of the two year program titled “Comprehensive Evaluation of Critical Infrastructures and Construction Raw Materials in the Philippines Using Concrete Petrography,” said that the 60 lifeline structures are designated evacuation centers or medical facilities where the injured victims and sick people would be brought after the Big One strikes.

The lifeline structures, he said, are mostly hospitals with some school buildings and critical government edifices.

Among the 60 structures are the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, UP-Philippine General Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Quezon City General Hospital, Rizal Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Tondo, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Santa Ana Hospital and Ospital ng Maynila.