To prepare communities for the threat of strong earthquakes, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered local government units to conduct comprehensive infrastructure audits on public and private buildings in their jurisdictions. The directive emphasizes that assessing structural integrity is crucial to ensuring public safety and minimizing casualties and damage during major earthquakes. This includes government facilities such as hospitals, schools, offices, and emergency response centers, as well as privately owned structures.
The DILG issued the directive yesterday, stating that assessing the structural integrity of buildings is crucial to ensuring public safety and minimizing casualties and damage during major earthquakes. “With the increasing frequency and intensity of earthquakes, proactive preparedness is our best defense,” the DILG said in a statement.
In 2024, the DILG partnered with key government agencies and stakeholders, including the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, to develop the Harmonized Infrastructure Audit Tool (HIAT). The HIAT provides a standardized framework for evaluating building resilience and identifying potential vulnerabilities before seismic disasters.
A total of 18 high-risk LGUs in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon—areas covered by the West Valley Fault—were trained to carry out infrastructure audits. As of Oct. 15, 32 LGUs in Metro Manila and Cavite, which are outside the West Valley Fault corridor, have completed similar training. Ten more LGUs in Central Luzon will receive the same training within the year.
The DILG has developed a corps of trained coaches composed of technical experts from professional organizations, academic institutions, and local government functionaries from 74 LGUs nationwide. These coaches are equipped to mentor local audit teams and cascade the use of the HIAT across their respective regions.