On August 14, 2026, the Architecture Department of the Infrastructure & Industrial Development Division at Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (OC Global), together with the Human Resources and General Affairs Bureau (HRAS) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) of the Philippines, hosted an online seminar on the seismic retrofitting of public buildings.

This seminar was held as part of the World Bank’s Philippines Seismic Risk Reduction and Resilience Project (PSRRRP).
The seminar brought together a total of 2,312 engineers from DPWH Central Office bureaus and services, Unified Project Management Offices (UPMO), and 176 Regional and District Engineering Offices (DEOs) across the Philippines, serving as a large-scale platform for technical exchange.

Organizers of the Online Seminar

Under the PSRRRP, OC Global is responsible for the detailed design and construction supervision of the seismic retrofitting of 172 public schools and health facilities through 2028. The objective of this seminar was to build foundational knowledge on seismic retrofitting among DPWH engineers and introduce specialized structural components used for public buildings in Japan.

During the seminar, Mr. Tomoki Miyano, General Manager of the Architecture Department of OC Global, introduced the company overview, and Mr. Masato Kawai, PSRRRP Project Manager, provided an overview of the PSRRRP project.

Mr. Tomoki Miyano, General Manager of the Architecture Department, OC Global

Mr. Masato Kawai, Project Manager, Architecture Department, OC Global

Mr. Nicolas Felipe Ortiz Lara, Architecture Department, OC Global

Furthermore, the seminar highlighted the importance of hazard assessment and seismic retrofitting through building vulnerabilities in Metro Manila and recent earthquake damage survey cases in Mindanao, as well as introducing typical Japanese seismic retrofitting devices.
In addition, practical knowledge regarding the assurance of construction quality was provided by explaining policy frameworks, vulnerability assessments, and project implementation processes such as procurement procedures and construction supervision in both countries, as well as by sharing points to consider for preventing construction defects and guidelines for post-construction monitoring.

Through this seminar, by sharing technologies and knowledge related to seismic retrofitting with DPWH engineers across the Philippines, OC Global supported the enhancement of technical capacity and the achievement of the long-term objectives of the PSRRRP.

OC Global will contribute to enhancing seismic resilience and supporting engineering capacity development in the Philippines through the research and application of cutting-edge technologies.