Earthquake damages roof of old Argao municipal hall SHARES: 566 VIEW COMMENTS By: Carmel Loise Matus @cebudailynews 08:40 PM April 18th, 2016 A portion of a roof of the old municipal hall in Argao town, southern Cebu was damaged on Monday afternoon after a mild earthquake rocked parts of Cebu and neighboring Negros Oriental. No one was reported injured since the second floor of the structure built in the 1800s had been cordoned off since February in preparation for its renovation, said Vip Semilla, former administrator and now member of the Argao Search and Rescue Team. The epicenter of the magnitude 3.1 earthquake was traced in waters off Basay town, Negros Oriental, according to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). It was tectonic in origin and was recorded at 3:37 p.m. on Monday. The earthquake was felt at Intensity 2 in Arago, about 70 km south of Cebu City. Argao Mayor Edsel Galeos said that during the mild tremor, some ceramic tiles of the roof of Casa Real slid down since the nails had been loosened due to the scheduled rehabilitation work. The trusses, however, remained intact, he added. While the second floor had been closed down, the ground floor is used to house the offices of the civil registrar, municipal treasurer and agriculturist as well as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices. The two-story building was supposed to be due for renovation but actual works had been delayed because of the need to first secure the approval of the National Heritage Council of the Philippines (NHCP), he added. Built during the Spanish era, Casa Real is one of the oldest municipal buildings in the country.
If a 3.1 quake did this damage, wonder what a California-sized one of 5.0-6.5 would do? Topple the whole town? nwlivewire
We had one of 6.9 north of here in 2012 and the bohol quake of around mag 7 shook us well also,not much damage this way but was felt all over. A few pics of the 2012 quake at la libertad and also a 10 ft tsunami.
Dear DaveyL200: Thank-you for posting these pictures. Are there any kind of earthquake building codes required of contractors? Are any building codes enforced on new construction or built after such-and-such year? Are they adequate for the area? V/R, nwlivewire
Inspections, well sort of. When my house was complete and ready for occupancy I met with the safety inspector at the resort next door. We had a couple of Pilsen. My neighbor actually had an inspection and had to present his fire extinguisher. The inspection was a little more strict. He had to produce the receipt for the fire extinguisher to prove he actually owned it.
Do yourself a favor and don't live in any multi-storied buildings like apartments or condo/hotel over two stories tall. Doesn't matter what the building codes are the only place I have ever seen follow them and stay within code were the big malls like SM. Even Robinson's mall here in Duma has problems on the second deck with buckling floors etc. I wouldn't want to be in there if they have a big earthquake. Also they do NOT have any rescue equipment for the fire departments to assist you if you are caught in anything over a two or maybe 3 story building fire anywhere I have seen in 20+ years living here.
