CALUMPIT, Bulacan—Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment, on Friday  said the government should immediately inspect the structural integrity of the 43-year-old Angat dam which is sitting on the Marikina West Valley Fault Line.

“The government must hasten a study on the integrity of Angat Dam structures for us to come up with certain course of action.  Unless we do that, we will not be able to plan for the worst. I am glad the National Power Corporation finally agreed to have the Angat Dam structure inspected,” Zubiri said.

He said that even though officials of Napocor  have issued statements that Angat dam  is safe, the government should not ignore the possibility that a 7.2 up to 7.5 magnitude earthquake might occur when the fault line moves.

“I fear a large disaster or catastrophe may happen especially in case the (Marikina) west valley fault line moves,” the senator said

The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier stated that the Marikina West Valley Fault Line might move anytime.

According to Phivolcs director Renato Solidum, the Marikina West Valley Fault Line moves every 200 to 400 years. The 200 years has passed and the fault line has not yet moved.

Gov.  Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado called on concerned agencies to determine the structural soundness of Angat dam shortly after a powerful earthquake devastated Japan.

Like Solidum, the governor believes that a disaster of catastrophic proportions could occur if the four decades old rock-built Angat dam in Norzagaray town breaks.

Alvarado said they have no intention of alarming the people but it is high time to plan and have remedial measures ready for such eventuality.

“It is the right thing to do. If the Angat Dam is structurally sound like the Napocor claims that it can stand a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, well and good, however, if it is not, then we have a problem,”Alvarado said. “We have to pray now so that it may not happen, but the government must still pursue independent study on the integrity of the Angat Dam,” he added.

Froilan Tampinco, President and CEO of   Napocor, said the agency has made an agreement with the Manila Water and Sewerage System and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management to conduct an independent study on the structural soundness of Angat dam.

“We believe that Angat Dam is structurally sound and can stand a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, but we also admit that earthquakes these days are getting more powerful and frequent,” Tampinco said.