Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
The recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake that affected parts of Mindanao, including General Santos City, once again forced us to confront this uncomfortable truth. The earthquake itself was unavoidable. What deserves closer examination, however, is why some structures failed while others survived. Was it the design? Was it poor workmanship? Was the foundation inadequate? Were building codes ignored? Or were inferior construction materials used somewhere along the supply chain?
At this stage, these questions remain exactly that—questions.
Almost at the same time that the nation was assessing the earthquake’s impact, another issue captured public attention: the government’s investigation into a steel manufacturing facility in Misamis Oriental over regulatory concerns involving radioactive materials. Understandably, some people immediately began connecting the two events. That reaction is natural, but as scholars and responsible citizens, we must distinguish between suspicion and evidence.
As of today, there is absolutely no official finding that steel produced by the investigated company was used in any of the damaged structures in General Santos City. There is likewise no government report establishing that substandard steel contributed to the collapse of any building affected by the earthquake. Making such claims without evidence would not only be unfair but would also undermine the credibility of public discourse.
However, this does not mean the issue should simply end there.
Instead, these two events invite a much larger conversation about how we investigate disasters in the Philippines.
Every major earthquake should not only trigger rescue operations and damage assessments. It should also initiate a comprehensive forensic investigation into why buildings performed differently under the same seismic forces. Every collapsed building has a story to tell. Every broken column, fractured beam, and twisted steel bar contains valuable information that can help prevent future tragedies.
One aspect that deserves far greater attention is the quality of reinforcing steel.
Many people think of steel as simply “bakal.” In reality, not all steel is created equal. Reinforcing bars are engineered to meet precise standards for strength, flexibility, ductility, chemical composition, and durability. During an earthquake, concrete alone cannot withstand the tremendous lateral forces generated by ground movement. Concrete is excellent under compression but relatively weak under tension. That is why reinforcing steel becomes the backbone of modern buildings. It absorbs energy, bends without immediately breaking, and allows structures to deform safely instead of collapsing suddenly.
If that reinforcing steel fails to meet engineering standards, the consequences can be devastating.
This does not automatically mean that every collapsed building contained defective steel. Structural failure is almost always the result of several factors working together. Poor engineering design, inadequate structural detailing, weak foundations, improper construction practices, insufficient quality control, and violations of the National Structural Code of the Philippines can all contribute to collapse. But because steel is one of the most critical structural components, its quality should always be part of every post-earthquake forensic investigation.
The government investigation involving the steel plant should therefore be viewed from a broader perspective.
Although the current inquiry primarily concerns radioactive materials and regulatory compliance, it also reminds us of the enormous responsibility carried by industries that manufacture materials used in critical infrastructure. Every steel plant, cement factory, and construction materials manufacturer contributes directly to public safety. The quality of their products may not become evident immediately. Sometimes it takes years—perhaps even decades—before an earthquake exposes weaknesses that remained hidden during ordinary times.
For this reason, industrial regulation should never be viewed merely as bureaucratic compliance. It is, in many respects, a form of disaster prevention.
This is where intelligence assumes a role that many people rarely recognize.
When the word “intelligence” is mentioned, most people immediately think of spies, covert operations, terrorism, or criminal investigations. But modern intelligence extends far beyond those traditional functions. Intelligence is fundamentally about providing decision-makers with timely, accurate, and analyzed information before a crisis occurs.
Industrial intelligence seeks to identify risks before they become disasters. It monitors supply chains, detects counterfeit products, identifies irregular manufacturing practices, uncovers procurement anomalies, and recognizes vulnerabilities that could eventually threaten public safety. In the context of construction, intelligence is not simply about investigating collapsed buildings after an earthquake. It is about preventing unsafe materials from ever reaching construction sites.
Imagine if intelligence systems could identify questionable manufacturing practices before defective products entered the market. Imagine if procurement irregularities involving public infrastructure were detected before bridges, schools, hospitals, or government buildings were completed. Imagine if regulatory agencies shared information more effectively with customs authorities, engineers, environmental regulators, local governments, and law enforcement agencies. Many disasters might never happen.
That is why intelligence should no longer be viewed as the exclusive domain of the military or law enforcement. Intelligence has become an indispensable tool for policymaking, environmental protection, industrial regulation, economic security, public health, disaster preparedness, and national resilience.
Perhaps one of the most important reforms that the Philippines should consider is the institutionalization of Forensic Earthquake Intelligence.
Every significant earthquake should automatically trigger multidisciplinary investigations involving structural engineers, metallurgists, geologists, architects, intelligence analysts, environmental experts, procurement specialists, and disaster management professionals. Their objective should not merely be to determine how a building collapsed but to understand why it collapsed.
Such investigations should ask difficult but necessary questions.
Did the structure comply with the National Structural Code of the Philippines?
Were the reinforcing steel bars independently tested?
Were construction materials properly certified?
Did the contractor follow approved engineering specifications?
Were inspections conducted thoroughly and honestly?
Did corruption influence procurement, permitting, or project supervision?
Were counterfeit or substandard construction materials introduced somewhere along the supply chain?
These questions are not intended to assign blame prematurely. Rather, they are essential to learning from every disaster. Without asking them, we risk rebuilding the same vulnerabilities that future earthquakes will once again expose.
Ultimately, the General Santos earthquake and the ongoing investigation into the steel manufacturing facility should not be artificially connected without evidence. Responsible scholarship demands restraint. Facts must always come before conclusions.
Yet together, these events remind us of a larger truth.
Earthquakes do more than shake buildings. They test the strength of our institutions. They reveal the effectiveness of our regulatory systems, the integrity of our construction industry, the competence of our inspection mechanisms, the transparency of procurement processes, and the quality of governance itself.
Nature determines the magnitude of an earthquake.
Human beings determine whether that earthquake becomes a disaster.
If future investigations establish that all construction materials complied with national standards, then public confidence will rightly be strengthened. But if deficiencies are discovered, those findings should not simply become headlines—they should become catalysts for reform.
Every collapsed building is more than a pile of concrete and steel. It is a lesson written in debris. It tells us what worked, what failed, and what must never be repeated.
If we are willing to listen carefully, every earthquake can teach us how to build a safer, more resilient, and more accountable nation.
#DJOT
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