By Josine Estuye
MANILA, (PNA) -– After the 7.2 magnitude quake left numerous roads and bridges damaged in Central Visayas and Mindanao, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson assured Monday the department shall implement an upgrade in the restoration of the damaged pavements.
In a phone interview, Singson said that as instructed by President Benigno Aquino III, retrofitting and upgrading of the infrastructures in Cebu and Bohol will be implemented in the affected roads.
Singson said the plan is to strengthen the foundation of the pavements, to be able to make it less vulnerable to damage, if not withstand a powerful earthquake.
He also noted that if the bridges are located in liquefaction-prone areas, then the DPWH shall move the road or bridge to a safer zone.
“Depende ngayon kung how will we retrofit this bridges o kung kailangang ilipat because of the vulnerability to liquefaction,” he said.
The DPWH secretary said the upgrading will start once the rehabilitation plan is developed and the temporary restoration, which consumes 2-3 weeks, will be completed.
“We don’t have enough information to do the detailed design yet, that will take some time. But what’s important now is to make them passable, as quickly as possible,” he said.
Moreover, Singson said the upgrading does not only cover roads and bridges but also buildings, particularly schools and hospitals.
In line with this, the DPWH chief urged officials to strictly implement the building code, to prevent major damage during quakes.
“Well, we have a building code that has to be followed by architects, structural engineers and city officials, so sumunod sila duon, gawin nila ng tama, there should be less damage to properties and loss of lives,” Singson said.
“It is the role of the city engineers, they are the once tasked to implement building code,” he added.