The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured that no flood control project documents were stored in the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building in Quezon City, which caught fire Wednesday afternoon.
The BRS conducts research, testing, and policy formulation for government infrastructure projects. In a statement, the DPWH said “initial findings indicate that the fire originated from a computer unit inside the Materials Testing Division that reportedly exploded.”
No employees were harmed in the incident. “An investigation team to assess the fire incident has been deployed and is currently conducting a thorough assessment to determine the full extent of the damage and to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the agency added.
The Bureau of Fire Protection–National Capital Region (BFP-NCR) reported that the blaze at the DPWH office on NIA Road, Barangay Pinyahan, was declared under control at 1:34 p.m. and fully extinguished at 1:49 p.m., after reaching the third alarm.
During a Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights hearing, DPWH Assistant Secretary Melody Villar said most records affected by the fire were backed up in the agency’s central database. “It is the regional office of DPWH-4B. Dito po ang site ng testing materials ng DPWH na mga supplies like semento, bakal. We are looking into it already pero ito po yung testing site,” Villar said.
She confirmed that while some physical files were kept in the facility, the agency’s digitalization efforts ensured that most data were safely stored.
The Senate hearing was held in line with discussions on Senate Bill No. 1215, which proposes the creation of the Independent People’s Commission (IPC) amid the ongoing flood control controversy.
