Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Councilor's building violates fire safety rules By Annabelle L. Ricalde
COUNCILOR Alfonso Goking's five-storey building near Cogon market violated fire safety regulations and has been recommended closed by the fire department, findings gathered from fire investigators show.
Fire investigators handling the July 29 blaze that occurred at Goking's building found out that it has no fire exits at all, and that the structure has failed to meet the standard requirements for putting up a warehouse inside it.
The building's ground floor currently serves as a shopping store; the other floors as warehouses for commercial goods.
Goking's building has been cited for repeated violations to the Fire Safety Code for years now, said FO3 Victor Naive, fire investigator of the Cagayan de Oro Central Fire Station.
Fire Superintendent Mario Socorro Timonera, the former city fire chief who served in early 2000, had recommended for the closure of the councilor's building, FO3 Naive said.
Naive said their role is only to recommend and that only the City Building Official (OBO) can implement for a closure order against structures found to be fire hazards.
He said several closure orders were also forwarded to the regional office of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for action.
Engineer Isidro Obligado, OBO head, said his office had yet to find the BFP's recommendation for closure of Goking's building.
When OBO was separated from the City Engineers Office in 1996, a muddle occurred as to whether what department gets a particular set of documents, Obligado said.
Obligado added he will enforce the BFP recommendation if his office finds the document.
"Ipa-implement gyud namo ang recommendation sa walay pabor-pabor pero mao lagi na, pangitaon pa namo ang record para makita namo ang original nga plan sa building (We will implement the recommendation without biases, but we will still look for the record to know the building's original plan)," he said,
However, Obligado said he was also at a loss why Goking's building was allowed to operate, unless BFP officials issued an occupancy permit.
