GOVERNMENT efforts in northern Cebu have shifted to recovery and rehabilitation from rescue, retrieval and relief operations, said Director Joel Erestain of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Central Visayas.
In the rehabilitation phase, Erestain reminded local government units (LGUs) in northern Cebu to wait for the assessment report of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) before making any plans.
Erestain said declaring “no-build zones” in areas hit by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in northern Cebu, should be supported with the technical verification from national agencies.
Interviewed over SunStar’s Beyond the Headlines, he explained LGUs have the power to enforce building codes and manage disaster response, however they cannot designate permanent danger areas without scientific validation.
“Hindi po pwede basta LGU ang magde-declare ng no-build zone (LGUs cannot just declare no-build zones),” Erestain said during the interview..
This was his response to reports that some LGUs in northern Cebu were planning to cordon off neighborhoods with visible cracks or ground subsidence, even before national agencies could complete their post-quake geohazard mapping.
“We will follow their technical recommendation. We cannot override science,” Erestain said.
He said Phivolcs and MGB teams are now conducting ground validation in towns most affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck on Sept. 30, including Bogo City, San Remigio, and Medellin.
The teams are mapping areas prone to liquefaction and soil instability to determine whether permanent relocation will be necessary.
Preliminary reports from Phivolcs suggest that the earthquake originated from a previously unmapped fault system in Barangay Nailon in Bogo City, prompting the OCD and other agencies to review and update hazard maps used in local land-use and development planning.
He added that the OCD will recommend a “rebuilding blueprint” anchored on updated risk data and reinforced building standards.
“Once the technical maps are completed, we’ll know which zones are safe for rebuilding and which should be kept vacant,” said Erestain.
This will serve as a technical reference for LGUs’ new Comprehensive Land Use Plans and national agencies involved in rehabilitation and infrastructure restoration.
The National Housing Authority and the Department of Social Welfare and Development have been coordinating with OCD and the affected LGUs for possible relocation of families living in identified danger zones.
Erestain urged residents to cooperate with authorities while waiting for official advisories.
The MGB-7 is expected to complete its hazard mapping and validation report before the end of October. / EHP