MANILA, April 8 -- The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) has reiterated the importance of engineering solutions and compliance with Republic Act 6541 or the National Building Code as part of earthquake preparedness and mitigation efforts.

"I will say it again. Engineering solutions and compliance with the building code are the best preparedness measures for earthquakes. We really need to improve our efforts for these alongside other measures," OCD administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said in a statement over the weekend.

He also stressed the need to ensure that buildings and facilities are resistant to strong earthquakes.

"Again, let us be reminded of the casualty projection for the magnitude 7.2 earthquake generated by the We...