abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 10/21/2009 7:19 PM | Updated as of 10/21/2009 10:03 PM

MANILA – Some 38% to 40% of Metro Manila’s residential and mid-rise buildings, as well as 14% of the area’s high-rise buildings, could be destroyed in the event of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which could happen anytime between now and the next 400 years, the chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Wednesday.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum Jr. issued the warning during Wednesday’s Senate hearing on climate change, which was chaired by Sen. Loren Legarda and Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.

Solidum explained this is the worst case scenario because Metro Manila is within the Valley Fault Line formerly known as the Marikina Fault Line. The fault line starts from the Sierra Madre down to Santa Rosa, Laguna and crosses to Tagaytay, parts of Bulacan, Rizal, Quezon City, Pasig, Marikina and parts of Makati.

While there is no reason to panic if everyone is prepared, Solidum said the agency has no way to predict earthquakes from the fault line. He said Phivolcs has yet to monitor any movement from the fault line.

Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Manuel Bonoan said the DPWH has already made an assessment of public structures in Metro Manila since 2002. He said the retrofitting of all major structures has already been completed and that they are not expecting a total collapse in case of a major earthquake.

Solidum, meanwhile, debunked reports that the San Roque Dam is located on a fault line. He said the dam is seven kilometers away from the San Manuel Fault in Pangasinan.

Danilo Sedilla, National Power Corporation vice-president for engineering, said the agency first investigated the exact location of all earthquake faults before building the dam. He added that the dam was also constructed to withstand a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.