THERE is a need for a strengthened auditing program for buildings and infrastructure to prevent deaths and damage, as strong earthquakes are expected to hit the region, an official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Davao Region (DILG-Davao) said.
Henry Villanueva, an engineer at the DILG-Davao Project Development Management Unit, said that the enhanced program came after concerns were raised over the possibility of a bigger earthquake that might strike Mindanao.
“Makita na namin after the audit kung sa ganitong klaseng lindol ilan ba yung building mag-collapse, then yung mga highly essential facilities i-re-recommend namin na i-retrofit kung talagang mababa yung quality. Ito yung mga program na pino-focus namin ngayon sa DILG,” he said on July 13, 2026, at SM City Davao.
(We will be able to determine after the audit how many buildings are likely to collapse in an earthquake of this magnitude. Then, for highly essential facilities, we will recommend retrofitting if their structural quality is found to be inadequate. These are the programs that we are currently focusing on at the DILG)
Villanueva said that they used their past experiences from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on June 8, which heavily affected some parts of Davao Occidental and resulted in loss of life due to some buildings lacking structural integrity.
He said that through the infrastructure audit, the office would be able to determine which buildings are prone to collapse, especially during strong earthquakes. He said their office would prioritize public facilities so that interventions, such as retrofitting, could be conducted.
Villanueva shared that their proposed auditing program is in line with their office's role as vice chair for disaster preparedness in the Philippines. He added that they are now in the process of coordinating with schools such as the University of Mindanao and Ateneo de Davao University to provide training programs for civil engineers and local building auditors.
DILG-Davao is coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, as well as other civil engineering groups in the region, to update the infrastructure guidelines.
He said that they already conducted the training phase last June and have scheduled another training session on August 25 to 26 for engineers in local government units (LGUs) who would lead inspection teams. Through the training, he said, they would be able to know the minimum and basic requirements and what to do when a building has a problem.
Villanueva said that the trained engineers would then serve as regional focal persons who would help local teams understand the basics of structural safety requirements.
After the infrastructure audit, the department said that its findings would be included in the updated National Building Code and would be used in crafting local legislation. RGP
