DPWH orders rapid assessment of gov't buildings

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) wants all local government building officials to undertake a rapid assessment of buildings in their respective localities in the wake of the destruction wrought by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu province.

- By RAINIER ALLAN RONDA

"We focus on this first, then we deal with the resiliency designs and enforcement of the building code," Arrey Perez, newly appointed DPWH Undersecretary for technical services, National Building Code Development Office and operations for external convergence projects,said in a text message to The STAR.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon rushed to Cebu province yesterday morning on President Marcos' orders after inspecting the devastation in Masbate caused by Typhoon Opong.

At a briefing, Dizon said the DPWH was fast-tracking the conduct of structural assessment, especially of the bridges in the province.

"Right now, obviously, we're still reeling from this very tragic event yesterday, which struck in the middle of the night," he said.