MANILA – Government should release a map showing where sinkholes can be found all over the country, an expert said Wednesday.

Mahar Lagmay, University of the Philippines (UP) Resilience Institute Executive Director, said the public should know if there are sinkholes near their area so that they can take the necessary precautions.

“Ngayon na sinabi na may 800, eh maganda na ilabas nga kung asaan yang mga yan para mapag-ingatan, at hindi lang diyan sa Boracay,” he told TeleRadyo.

(Now that they have said there are more than 800 sinkholes in Boracay, they must announce to the public exactly where these are located.)

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"Kung ilalabas nila sa Boracay, o masasabi nila na na marami dyan o, 800, e ilabas din nila yung doon sa Cebu, yung doon sa Bohol, yung dito sa Rizal, yung dito sa Samar.”

(If they release the map of sinkholes for Boracay, they should also release those from Cebu, Bohol, Rizal, or Samar.)

Lagmay said sinkholes are common in areas where there is a concentration of limestone.

“Yung mga ganyan po na mga sinkholes e pangkaraniwan po yan sa mga lugar na merong bato na tinatawag na limestone. So, ay hindi lang po dyan sa Boracay kundi sa, halos maraming lugar sa Pilipinas katulad po ng Bohol, sa Samar, dito sa Rizal, dito sa Baguio,” he explained.

(Sinkholes are common in areas where there is limestone. So sinkholes are present not just in Boracay but also in Bohol, Samar, Rizal, and Baguio.)

“Maraming lugar na merong limestone, na merong kuweba na maaaring magkaroon ng sinkhole so dapat kung mailalabas yun, ilabas po yung mga mapa na yan para makapag-ingat po ang mga tao,” he said.

(There are areas with limestone, with caves that can becime sinkholes, so they should release the maps so people can be aware of dangers near them.)

Lagmay said structural interventions are possible to make sure the structures built above small sinkholes don’t collapse.

“Bali yung ganyan po, pag may gusali sa taas ng sinkhole, merong mga tinatawag na engineering intervention. So pagka bago itayo yung gusali, lalo na kapag malaki, eh pinag-aaralan po yan ng mga engineer saka geophysicist.”

“Pina-plan kung may butas sa ilalim. At kung merong butas, nilalagyan yan ng konkreto, grouting ang tinatawag doon. Para tumibay, para yung butas ay mapuno,” he said.

(Before a building is built near a sinkhole, there are engineering interventions. Engineers and geophysicists study this, especially if the building is big. If there is a hole underneath, they put in concrete in a process called grouting to make a building stronger.)

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) last week said they found more than 800 sinkholes on Boracay, a well-known beach destination loved by local and foreign tourists alike.

Malay, Aklan Mayor Floribar Bautista, however, said that buildings in Boracay are structurally sound and adherent to local guidelines.

• Boracay receiving 4,000 tourists a day, still within carrying capacity: mayor

--TeleRadyo, 19 December 2022