Ateneo: No buildings on West Valley fault

MANILA, Philippines - The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) issued Friday a statement noting that no buildings in the university are constructed on top of the West Valley fault.

“However, as explained by Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology), all environs within five kilometers of the fault… are expected to experience much shaking in the event of a magnitude 7 earthquake,” ADMU’s statement read.

Earlier, Phivolcs director Renato Solidum revealed the results of a joint study conducted by government agencies and the Australian government.

The study, dubbed Greater Metro Manila Area Risk Analysis Project, showed that an earthquake similar in magnitude to the one that struck in the Visayas on Tuesday could kill more than 37,000 people and cause P2.4 trillion in damages.

The West Valley fault runs from Rizal province to Calamba in Laguna, passing through areas in Metro Manila, including Quezon City where ADMU is located.

ADMU said Seiji Suwa, an architect of the disaster mitigation education in Japan and survivor of the Kobe earthquake, said “preparedness translates to good building construction, scientific understanding of the possible event, a well-designed recovery program, and well-prepared citizens.”