After the quake: time to build a permanent home for Cebu City's courts

I was in Metro Manila when the earthquake struck Cebu at around 10 P.M. on Tuesday. I was preparing to doze off, making one last check of my social media feed and messages, when I learned about the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu, whose epicenter was off the coast of Bogo City.

- Atty. lan Vincent Manticajon [e-mail]

By late Wednesday evening, I was back in Cebu. There was reportedly a jolting aftershock a few minutes before our plane landed, and I can only hope that the next expected ones won't be strong enough to cause further fear or damage.

The last major quake that jolted our island was on October 15, 2013, with its epicenter in Bohol. I remember that period between October and November as a double whammy, because Yolanda hit the Visayas in November. During those months, we focused our efforts on relief work. For lawyers in particular, there was a lull in litigation when the old Palace of Justice behind the Capitol was closed due to structural concerns.

The other day, I saw photos of the damage to the Qimonda building in the North Reclamation Area, home to the Cebu City courts, and it brought flashbacks of a familiar experience in 2013 --postponed hearings and a lull in litigation-- until experts can determine that the building is safe for occupancy or a new temporary venue is found.