The Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the two massive earthquakes that occurred in less than two months in other parts of the world should give us ample warning.
Internet search gives this description of the Pacific Ring of Fire: It is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. It’s an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, including the Philippines, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. Over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes are within the arc.
The volatile activities are a direct result of movements of the earth’s plates, which are like giant rafts which often slide next to, collide with, and are forced underneath other plates. There is a tremendous amount of energy created by the movements of these plates. Thus we have volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Being spared from it now should not be an excuse to be complacent. Rather we should learn lessons from the experience of Haiti and Chile.
The other day, Chile was hit with intensity 8.8 earthquake. Roads and some buildings were severely damaged and reported deaths reached hundreds.
Last Jan. 12, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake . More than 230,000 people died including Filipino peacekeepers.
Scientists quoted by reports said Chile’s Saturday temblor was almost 1,000 times more powerful than the one to hit Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Yet the casualties are over 200,000 less. One report said, “One major factor which will limit the number of deaths in Chile will be its greater level of preparedness. Both the Chilean authorities and the Chilean people are generally well versed in how to cope in such an emergency.”
Chile’s preparedness was borne out of experience. In May 1960, Chile was rocked by a much colossal tremor in the magnitude of 9.5 which killed more than 1,600 people. It was the biggest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world.
In 1922, central Chile was also rocked with intensity 8.5 earthquake. Studies indicated that Chile was ripe for another major earthquake, thus the preparedness.
Earthquakes are alien to Haitians. No living Haitian had experienced a quake in their country. Survivors and rescuers described abject panic among them— people grabbing cement pillars only to watch them crumble in their hands. They didn’t know about seeking shelter under tables and door frames, and staying away from glass windows.
It pays of course that Chile is wealthy. The Chilean government imposed strict building codes. Chileans have homes and offices built to ride out quakes, their steel skeletons designed to sway with seismic waves rather than resist them. Even low-cost housing structures are earthquake resistant.
Haiti, on the other hand, is very poor. The government is inept and it’s not surprising that there is no building code. Patrick Midy, a leading Haitian architect, is quoted in news reports as saying he knew of only three earthquake-resistant buildings in Haiti.
Cameron Sinclair, executive director of Architecture for Humanity, a 10-year-old nonprofit group that has helped people in 36 countries rebuild after disasters, said the virtue of having earthquake-resistant buildings is shown by after-the-tremor scenes in the two earthquake-hit countries: “When you look at the architecture in Chile you see buildings that have damage, but not the complete pancaking that you’ve got in Haiti,” he said.
Of course, Chile was lucky that the epicenter of last Saturday’s tectonic blast was in a relatively unpopulated area while Haiti’s was right on the edge of the heavily populated Port-au-Prince.
No wonder that the day after the Haiti quake, Sinclair’s San Francisco-based organization received 400 requests for help. As of yesterday, Sinclair said it had yet to receive a single request for help for Chile.
The Chile and Haiti experiences give graphic and valuable lessons for other countries, most especially, the Philippines to learn from. We can choose which model to follow.
God forbids,though PINAS are better than Haiti,but due of cutting corners traits of contracting company,lagayan system of gov’t, kotong left and right from approving official down to the inspector,NO PROBLEM!!!espcially gov’t projects,tignan na lang ang major highways and bridges,do contractor complied fully 100% no probably from 65-75% compliances only,my answers are the same as yours because of the system of kalakaran eversince of pinoy gov’t been set after gaining of independence from Uncle Sam.No matter how much we prepared now it too late,cause buildings and structures are existing.OL’ AMERICAN saying bent down kiss your smelly behind good bye”””
The commercial condos and office buildings of makati/taguig/pasig should conform to anti-earthquake disaster mitigation standards, otherwise commercial banks will not provide loans and and insurance companies will not provide coverage. Government structures may be a different story (this includes bridges and overpasses).
Private homes also a different story especially those over 12 years old. Houses with adobe walls — trouble. Even houses with hollow-block walls are troublesome because I suspect only 30% of them have rebars to absorb earth tremblors.
But to worry is not necessary. Pilipinas is special because it is the only Christian nation in Asia. Just think Ondoy.
Kung nuon 10% SOP o padulas para sa mga dadaanan at pipirma bago mabayaran ang kontrata, ngayon sigurado mas malaki ang para sa SOP kaysa sa magastos sa kontrata. Noynoy described it well. Sabi niya “kung nuon namomorsieyento lamang ang mga taong gobyerno, ngayon ilang porsiento na lamang ang natitira sa mga proyekto?
Siyempre ang mga kontratista gusto malaki din malaki ang kita kaya dadaanin sa’cutting of corners’ like substandard materials halimbawa.
yong “cutting corners” ang nakakatakot kaya kahit kailangan namin ang tirahan sa manila,ayaw namin tumira sa condo.
There will be more catastrophe coming within 2-3 years, as the Evils are cornered, squeezed tight and tighter:
– Operation STILLPOINT and the Fall of the Rockefeller [A Rockefeller is burned down after being cut to pieces to serve as warning to the Bush-Clinton-Cheney clique. Some of them are having “chest pains” just recently]
– Fulford Feb. 24, 2010 Update on the Meeting between Asian Black Dragon Society and Vatican Illuminati Faction re New Financial System, imminent Vatican Confessions and the release of free energy technologies…
A lot of good stuffs there, for the interested, of course.
Let say we prepared for worst,do we deciminate public properly,not even 30% of population are aware of forecoming disaster.Just look on the ONDOY events how much havocks and devastating causes the population.lives and properties are in stakes everytime a disaster strike.Though nobody could prevented a nature calmities,but “NEGLIGENCES”are the main factors.Gov’t are funding bilyons for equipments annually, but where does it goes,tongpats and other amenities for gov’t officials. EARTHQUAKES are unpredictable,not like typhoons, hurricanes,twisters and fires are forcasted before it will strike.Adulterated engineered structures are vulnerables for disasters anytime.Updating our gadgetries on weather and other disaster forcasting are required to at least minimizes damages to our kababayan.
Dapat naman talagang ini-inspeksiyon ng gobyerno ang mga buildings, bridges and other structures regularly. Maraming buhay ang nakataya diyan. Hini naman gigibain agad ang mga building na may problema dahil meron namang tinatawag na seismic retrofitting upang muling patibayin ang mga nag-crack na buildings.
Pero ako naman ay may tiwala sa ating mga structural engineers. Sa dalas nating tamaan ng malakas na lindol, maliban sa dalawang buildings na nagiba – Ruby Tower at Hyatt Baguio – wala nang ibang napinsala ng lindol sa Pinas. Isama na natin yung isang building na gumuho kamakailan dahil sa pagkain ng Pasig river sa pundasyon ng building diyan sa may Divisoria.
Kaya nga dito sa mga malalaking skyscrapers sa Pinas, ang pag-award ng construction projects ay hiwalay ang substructure (ilalim ng lupa) sa superstructure (ibabaw ng lupa). Dahil marami kasing may kakayanang magtayo ng mataas na building pero iilan ang may kakayahang gumawa ng matinong pundasyon.
Sa kasalukuyan, ang pinakamataas na building ay ang PBCom Tower na joint veture ng PBCom at Filinvest. Meron itong 52 storeys sa taas na 259 Meters. Ang arkitekto ay ang Skidmore Owings and Merill (SOM) na sikat sa kabuuan ng Makati CBD at Ortigas Complex at ang structural designer ay ang Aromin & Sy + Asso. Ang contractor as Samsung Eng’g and Const. na siya ring nagtayo ng mga pinakamataas na buldings sa mundo gaya ng Petronas, Burj Khalifa at Taiwan 101. Ang PBCom ay 120th na pinakamataas sa buong mundo at nakatayo sa kanto ng Ayala Ave. at Rufino St.
Kasunod ng PBCom Tower ang GT Tower ni Metrobank chairman George Ty na may taas na 217 meters at 47 storeys sa kanto ng Ayala Ave. at Buendia Ave. Tatlong sikat na architectural firms ang nagdesign nito – GF & Partners, Recio + Casas kasama ang sikat na Kohn Pederson Fox – at ang structural design, gaya ng PBCom, ay gawa ng Aromin & Sy.
Ang Gramercy Residences naman ang papalit sa PBCom bilang pinakamataas na skyscraper kapag natapos na ito sa 2012. Itinatayo ito sa site ng dating International School sa Kalayaan Ave. Magkakaroon ito ng 68 storeys sa taas na 302 meters. Collaboration ng Jerde Partnership Int’l at ni Arch. Roger Villarosa habang ang structural ay design ng Ove Arup & Partners ng Hong Kong.
Kaya kung ako sa iyo, patria adorada, tignan mo kung sino ang nagdesign ng arch’l at civil works ng building pati na ang contractor bago bumili ng condo. Usisain mo ang kanilang track record. Pag pipitsugin, siguradong hindi ka mapapalagay dahil hindi ka feeling safe sa condo mo nanganganib pa ang puhunan mong pinambili ng unit.
Kung may balak kang bumili ay kontakin mo ako. Hehehe.
Bakit sa Pinas kapag nakatira ka sa condo ay rich ka raw? Naging status symbol na ang condo, parang magarang kotse.
Chi, karamihan barong-barong o kaya sa lansangan ang palasyo of those quite less fortunate who can’t even utilize the “free energy” to keep them lighted and warm at nights. So a “condo” is a status symbol for even those who didn’t really need it but being from abroad, MUST display some of their insecurities, buy one to show off.
Kababayan ko and close friend was prodded by his “wala sa ayos na asawa” (from Bataan, the mere mention of her first name could dip me in hot water, you might know her) into buying a condo in Manila two years ago. She doesn’t even work, and she doesn’t really need that piece of crib for the life of me! Superbait at under yung asawa. What’s so puzzling is that hubby used to be arms dealer and someone I deemed macho or maton.
Tongue, Plaza Hyatt Baguio was half-cement/half-buhangin, and eventual result was just harrowing, now the place is really haunted. To ghosts believers, go there at midnight and listen to the crying and soft howling of the dead. Fully investigate, baka naman tape recorder yung sounds.
Tru, mayaman pala e, used to be an arms dealer. Which side, militar o Abbu, or both..hehehe!
There’s one advantage of living in Pinas condo, though. Guardiado, pwedeng pagtaguan ang pinagkakautangan.
Tongue, di ba requirement sa matataas na building/condo ang floating foundation? Is this different from seismic retrofitting?
Dapat naman talagang ini-inspeksiyon ng gobyerno ang mga buildings, bridges and other structures regularly. – Tongue.
Para que pa?
Ang LAGAY ba naman magpapakapagod pa sila? Alam naman natin ang katwiran ng karamihang government inspectors – PUWEDE na ‘yan (ako’ng bahala sa iyo, ikaw ang bahala sa akin).
chi,
tama ka, dapat ang foundation ay strong enough to carry the whole weight of the structure but should also be flexible to ensure it moves along with external forces to absorb some of the energy instead of trying to overpower it. I’ve seen buildings standing on rollers, some on viscous dampers – like the Phils’ 3rd tallest St. Francis Towers in Mandaluyong (structural design by Ove Arup of Hong Kong) which straddles the active fault from Marikina to Muntinlupa, makes it one of the safest buildings in the Metro – there’s also fluid tanks, tuned mass dampers (standing on springs like a car’s shock absorber) and many, many more types of foundation designs, depending on location, building weight, cost, and the contractor’s ability to build one.
Generally, seismic retrofitting is a method of fortifying existing buildings that may or may not have been damaged by earthquakes and/or typhoons. Our knowledge of earthquakes is continuously updated that structural design requires the same upgrading. We often see bridges get some post-tensioning after some sagging has occurred. The introduction of relatively new materials like high-strength steels and Fiber-reinforced polymers, among others, have also been used to retrofit structures hit by earthquakes.
As for buying condos, we experienced the boom in condos starting in the mid-90s owing to the influx of many investors generated by Ramos’ pro-business policies. It was also boom time for the stock market that many transient foreign businessmen find it more convenient to own a condo than buy land and build on it. It was no surprise that many high-rise developers opted for the mixed-use skyscrapers with lower floors dedicated to businesses while the upper ones are residential. Until the Asian financial crisis triggered the real property bust.
During that time, condos were either second/third homes or were simply investments hoping to be sold later at a fat profit. A studio type, at Peak Tower for example, would sell at around P1.4M while a 4-bedroom at Pacific Plaza would fetch around P20M. Today’s high-end would cost somewhere between P26M to P30M. Think Rockwell and Taguig’s Global City.
Lately, developers are targeting the OFW and balikbayan markets with low-end to middle units selling for P10M downwards.
Condos are good for those who value security and privacy and those who do not have time to personally oversee their houses’ maintenance. It’s also a good place to keep your Number two, number three, number four…
Tongue, I know personally that the Paragon Plaza condominium along EDSA, one of Filinvest’s first projects, sits on a floating foundation. Nabanggit ko kasi you mentioned the developer as being one of the better ones.
Uy yung Paragon, ako gumawa ng Indoor Electrical Substation niyan. Ang hirap iakyat sa 9th floor ang switchgear at transformer, ipinasara pa namin ang EDSA. Yup, diyan sa Area na yan earthquake-prone kaya special ang footing niya kahit hindi masyadong mataas ang Paragon.
Pero marami akong nagawa diyan – yung Globe Telecoms Plaza, Dansalan Gardens, Robinson’s Ortigas, ADB, Mega Mall, Shangri-La Mall & Hotel, Alexandria 1 & 2, Tektite Towers 1 & 2 …Yabang no?
Hahaha! Naku ikaw pala ang gumawa ng IES ng Paragon. Kaya pala ang galing, impress nga kami. That’s really good to know. That time, it’s the highest building in Pinas tapos dami na palang mas mataas. Maganda at matibay ang construction ng Paragon, daming lindol ng dinaanan pero walang damage.
I meant tallest…
Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100303/sc_space/chileearthquakemayhaveshorteneddaysonearth
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Ok lang kung sana meron din na aurora borealis na makikita sa Pinas, hindi lang pagmumukha ng mga Arroyo-Pidal at mga nakakasurang politiko.
Meron na rin – Si Aurora Nagburles, corny!
Tongue,
Kaya pala hindi ka makapasok sa public office ay dahil sa ispik en ispan ang trabaho mo. Tina-translate mo sa trabaho ang bawat details ng drowing as per specification and standard.
Hindi ka nga pakikinabangan ng mga katulad nina Ebdane at Reyes.
Meron din akong ilang nasamahang government projects noong ‘andyan pa ako sa Pinas at ang pinakamalaki ay ang Water Treatment Plant 2 ng La Mesa Dam kung saan nakita ko ang mga palusot ng main contractor sa pakikipagkutsaba sa mga inspektor ng NAWASA. ‘Yun na nga la’ang admin building ay pilipit ang pagkakagawa, eh. Pero approved pagdating sa report dahil ‘yung survey lens ay natakpan yata ng sobre kaya nung sinilip uli ay tumama sa hulog at iskwala.
palagay ko lang ay up to date na ang design ng mga high rise sa atin ngayon. nabisita ko ang web ng asso. ng structural engineers sa pinas at marami na rin ang may ph.d. na may kanya kanya na rin silang specialties, di tulad ng panahon namin na kapag sinabing civil engineer ay nandoon ng lahat at pinaka mataas ay may masters. mga buildings siguro na before 80s or even 90s ay maaaring mahina pa sa earthquake. mga buildings sa makati ay matitigas ang foundation diyan pero sa manila area ay malambot, ang eskolta ay lumulubog noon pa. ang earthquake ay madaling magtravel sa malalambot kaysa sa bato.
Bwahahaha!!! Aurora Nagburles, hahaha!!! Mababaw talaga ang kaligayahan ko, kahit corny napapahagalpak ako ng tawa.
Tama ka, norphil, sa Makati ay adobe ang ilalim kaya maraming naluging contractor diyan ng substructure akala nila madali lang ang trabaho sa estimate, pag dating sa actual, sangkaterbang additional cost, sablay pa sa schedule.
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Magno, sa private ay hindi gaano makakapandaya kung matino ang project management. Pag mahigpit ang arkitekto, kumukuha ng quantity surveyor, binibilang lahat ng ikinakabit ng mga contractor at suppliers, ultimo pako, binibilang!
Dito ay naging paminggalan ng David Langdon & Seah ang mga malalaking projects dahil sila lang yata ang qualified na quantity surveyors.
Tongue, nasa kliyente din ‘yan, government o private owned project. Nasa consultant din, kung minsan. Basta ang lahat ay depende sa prinsipyo’t disposisyon ng bawat isa.
Meron ding client representative na medyo gustong kumita at minsa’y “bumubulong” sa consultant at contractor.
Kahit dito sa kinalalagyan ko, meron din. Sometime in 1999 I witnessed minsan na muntik mag-collapse ang gitna ng 8th floor ng nine floor bank building project namin sapagkat kulang ang steel bars na tinipid mismo ng dalawang client representatives na kinunsinti naman ng aming consultant. Mabuti naagapang ayusin ang scaffolding support.
Ang hiningi lang naman ng PM ng consultant ay isang brand new Lexus at ang dalawang client representatives ay tig-isang bagong GMC Suburban.
Magno: “Meron ding client representative na medyo gustong kumita at minsa’y “bumubulong” sa consultant at contractor.”
Ang tawag namin diyan, Consuholtant, o kaya’y Consulsoltant. Hehehe.
Marami ring corrupt na private companies. Hindi lang sa construction. Pero individual. Mahirap pala pag US-based ang parent firm, FBI ang nag-iimbestiga ng patago. Kuwentuhan muna tayo, tapos na naman ang subject sa klase.
I remember there was a case wherein a VP and a Purchasing supervisor of a very big US semicon firm (Probably the biggest) who were investigated by FBI for taking bribes from suppliers. The supervisor didn’t hide it from his bosses because everybody knew he was in cahoots with the VP. They played golf on weekdays and both of them bought Eddie Bauer Version Ford Expeditions – way too expensive for the supervisor’s salary.
Another one is a big US-based parcel/cargo firm. The local security officers were suspected to be on the take from their security contractors as revealed by a whistle-blower whose affidavit they had to secure in a hotel. I accompanied a relative who was very nervous because the suspects were ex-military and were capable of harming both the witness and my relative. We asked for security from their home base and what do you know, every minute of the meeting there were big American-looking guys who walked casually by our table and even walked by us in the parking lot. We were told later that those were provided by the embassy.
Haay. Kelan kaya magiging ganyan ang level ng hustisya sa Pinas?