THE Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will expand its probe of undervalued steel importations and substandard steel to include imported cement, amid the damage to homes and buildings reported in the three earthquakes in October in Mindanao, its Spokesman Manuelito Luna said on Friday.
“We have received fresh information that some imported cement are not being strictly monitored and inspected for quality assurance, which may result in structural integrity issues. The series of devastating earthquakes that recently hit Mindanao, coupled with the information we received, is an eye-opener and compels us to expand our probe to include imported cement.”
Luna continued: “Allegedly, some unscrupulous public officers have lowered their guard and wittingly or unwittingly clearing even substandard imported cement for disposal to the market, with pernicious consequences.”
The PACC “will look into this to validate the information for the safety of the public,” said Luna.
On Thursday (October 31), at about 9:11 a.m., a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Tulunan, North Cotabato—the same area where a 6.6-magnitude quake struck on October 29—and caused damage to several buildings in the Cotabato and Davao areas. A four-story hotel collapsed in Kidapawan City and a mid-rise residential condominium in the outskirts of Davao City leaned to one side after its second floor collapsed.
In the wake of the third earthquake, President Duterte, who was in Davao when it happened, ordered all relevant agencies to ensure the safety of all structures.