NEGROS ISLAND REGION — Local governments in Negros Oriental and Siquijor are moving from training into a systematic inventory and rapid visual screening of government-owned buildings and facilities to identify structural vulnerabilities associated with earthquakes and other hazards.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government Negros Island Region reported on October 5, 2026 that participating LGUs completed practical training on the harmonized Infrastructure Audit (IA) Tool on September 30 to October 1. The training included actual on-site demonstrations and application of the tool to assess structural condition, safety and disaster resilience.
The effort builds on a wider DILG push to strengthen building screening. WVF previously reported on DILG collaboration on an earthquake assessment tool for buildings, providing broader context for the use of standardized inspection methods by local governments.
LGUs will inventory public buildings and conduct Rapid Visual Inspections
Following the training, participating LGUs are expected to inventory government-owned buildings and facilities and conduct Rapid Visual Inspections (RVI) using the harmonized IA Tool. DILG said the inspections are intended to validate vulnerabilities to seismic hazards and other disaster risks and establish a baseline condition and risk profile for public infrastructure.
The resulting inventory can help local governments determine which structures should be prioritized for further technical assessment and what interventions may be appropriate. A rapid visual inspection is therefore an initial screening step, not a substitute for a detailed engineering evaluation of a building’s structural capacity.
A similar progression from screening to deeper assessment can be seen in Pastrana, Leyte’s move to seismically evaluate its municipal building, where a public facility advanced into a more focused engineering-review process.
Why this matters for earthquake resilience
Systematic screening gives LGUs a clearer basis for deciding which public buildings may require closer engineering review rather than relying only on age, appearance or assumptions about structural condition.
That matters because government buildings and public facilities often support emergency coordination, public services and community response after a major earthquake. Identifying vulnerabilities before damaging shaking occurs can help local governments prioritize limited engineering and capital resources.
WVF has also tracked the national effort to build the technical capacity needed after vulnerabilities are identified. In September, more than 2,300 DPWH engineers were reported trained in seismic retrofitting of public buildings.
What happens after the screening will matter most
The DILG report does not identify individual buildings that have already failed the screening, nor does it announce retrofit budgets, engineering contracts or replacement projects. Those would be separate developments if and when LGUs complete the inventory and move specific facilities into detailed assessment or intervention.
For that reason, the next important signal will be whether the audit results lead to technical evaluations, funded strengthening work, changes in facility use or other concrete risk-reduction measures. WVF’s Special Report The Big One Is Not the Biggest Threat—Our Buildings Are provides broader context on why building vulnerability remains central to earthquake risk in the Philippines.
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Recommended Further Reading
- DILG to Collaborate on New Earthquake Assessment Tool for Buildings
- Pastrana, Leyte Moves to Seismically Evaluate Its Municipal Building
- More Than 2,300 DPWH Engineers Trained in Seismic Retrofitting of Public Buildings
- The Big One Is Not the Biggest Threat—Our Buildings Are
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