Cebu checking structures for safety

CEBU — The Cebu Provincial Board on Monday passed en masse a resolution “urging all local government units (LGUs) to check on buildings and structures in the wake of the series of earthquakes that wreaked havoc in Mindanao.

Sixth District provincial board member Thadeo Jovito Ouano,who sponsored the resolution and the chairman of the Committee on Public Safety,Peace and Order and Dangerous Drugs Abuse Prevention said “it is the policy of the State to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare,consistent with the principles of sound environmental management and control, to provide a framework of minimum standards to regulate the location of buildings, site, design, quality of material, construction, use and maintenance and to ensure public safety and promote economic development through the prevention and suppression of all kinds of destructive fires.”

“The recent Cebu City fire claimed the life of a 14-year old girl student, destroyed 32 houses and resulted to about 300 homeless people. In the same month prior to that misfortune, another devastation happened in North Cotabato, after a terrifying magnitude of earthquake hit the area and felt by nearby provinces.

Over five people were confirmed dead and dozens were reported injured,” Ouano cited.

He added that “ Christmas and other family rejoicing activities are in the air and in general, it surely adds a huge electricity consumption that that of our daily needs with the use of residential appliances, malls, hotels, concert halls, restaurants and other amusement centers’s power systems.”