What means "retrofit buildings in terms of seismic safety"?

strength of buildings and even building design changes over time. to conform with modern standards of safety, additional work are introduced to structures to improve their ability to withstand earthquakes. with proliferation of substandard construction materials like steelbars and cement, i fear that when the big one comes, many structures would come tumbling down. a lot of building owners do not even get a supervising engineer to monitor construction work but would hire only construction foreman to save on costs. remember that the philippine building code requires engineers not only in the design but also during actual construction. as president of pice south cotabato chapter, we are for the strict implementation of the laws related to the profession. (civil engineering code of the philippines, national building code, etc.)