PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd last week ordered a thorough probe on what went wrong during the Typhoon Pablo onslaught that killed hundreds of people and caused hundreds more to be still missing as officials blame illegal loggers and small scale miners as the culprits for the flooding and landslides in Compotela Valley and Davao Oriental.

However, authorities should not only focus on illegal loggers and small scale miners but also on the contractors who built the gymansium, the hospital, and the school building that were leveled by Pablo, causing the death of over a dozen individuals who were taking refuge in those buildings at that time.

Several civil engineers that I have spoken with a few days ago said that the contractors of those buildings should be questioned as to why these structures were leveled to the ground by a typhoon.

The engineers, who asked not to be identified, explained that structures such as hospitals, schools, and gymnasiums should be able to withstand strong winds like that brought by Pablo. After all, these government buildings double up as evacuation centers too.

These structures are made with concrete walls and steel posts and beams, as per the standards set by the national building code.

But why did it still collapse if it is made of concrete and steel? One of those engineers, who used to work for the Depatment of Public Works and Highways, suggests that investigators should look in the thickness of those concrete walls and the diameter of the steel bars used in the collapsed structures.

What my engineer friend wants to say is that, perhaps the contractor used substandard materials or the cement and steel used in the construction of the said structures did not conform to the standard set by the national building code.

So the next question was why did they have to use substandard materials then? The answer is simple: to save money so they can make a bigger profit after giving “tongpats” or commissions to politicians in the area, which by the way, has been the practice for decades now almost all over the country.

If strong winds can destroy government buildings. How much more if there is an earthquake?

God help us . . .

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