* This is my column in BusinessWorld on April 24, 2019.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are 100% part of the
Philippines’ “geological DNA.” This is because we are in the “Pacific Ring of
Fire” and our entire archipelago seems to have protruded from under the sea.
Thus, if there were no “violent” volcanic activities, there would be no
Philippines.
A strong earthquake with magnitude 6.1 rocked Zambales
and neighboring provinces in Central Luzon plus Metro Manila last Monday, April
22. Many public and private structures were damaged, a few deaths and many
injuries were recorded. That day, there were 72 earthquakes nationwide that
occurred.
But compared to previous earthquakes in the country, it
was not that strong actually. On average we get about 30 earthquakes a day
nationwide. Numbers for the past few days are shown (see table 1).
There are many alarmist claims here, with no scientific
or historical basis, that the “Big One” (8.0 +) for the Philippines is coming
soon and will lead to “tens of thousands of deaths.” Even earthquakes of 7-7.9
are still rare worldwide, the more common movements are in the 5-5.9 and lower.
And note that after 2010, the number of estimated deaths globally from this
disaster is declining (table 2).
Number of earthquakes worldwide
The main reason for this is that people now live in
stronger structures, not because the number of earthquakes is declining.
For the Philippines, the market-oriented reforms for
efficiency (MORE) to deal with our geological reality is for government to reduce
taxes in construction materials (especially steel and cement), do not invent
new taxes and tariffs, and/or reduce real property tax for strong buildings and
structures per sq.m. area.
In short, reverse the taxation regime, let the people
spend big on sturdy and strong buildings, save more lives and properties and
people’s pockets. Then government need not worry much about people’s well-being
when strong earthquakes occur and reoccur.
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See also:
BWorld 315, MORE power supply needed: Attention ERC, April 23, 2019
BWorld 316, MORE IPR protection, April 24, 2019
BWorld 317, MORE Senators for rule of law, April 25, 2019
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