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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Shelved roofdeck to cost government more
By Stella A. Estremera
THE roofdeck of the City Council building is not structurally flawed, but leaving it unfinished will lead to its hastened deterioration, City Engineer Meinrado Metran said.
In his counter affidavit submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, Metran said the long delay in the roofdeck project is in fact exposing the structure to unnecessary wear and tear.
"It should at least have a roof by now because when the roof is built, then the load exerted by the wind will be carried by the whole structure because they are now held together by the roof. If it is left as is without a roof, the load by the wind will be exerted on each joint," he said.
Metran was charged together with two other personnel of the City Engineer's Office with neglect of duty because of the controversial roofdeck project.
In his counter-affidavit, Metran said he should not be accused of neglect of duty as he was even the one who made sure projects were moving at the CEO.
Metran said the chipping of the roofdeck flooring for the column plates that are also exposed to sun and rain could erode the cement and cause more leaks inside the building.
This has been pointed out in the report made by structural engineer Allan E. Botuyan who was tapped by the City Government to assess the structural integrity of the roofdeck project and its effect on the whole building.
In Botuyan's report, he pointed out that the effect of these planted columns in the roofdeck to the beams and girders "may not be structurally critical, but the inconvenience and effects of seepage during heavy rains cannot be underestimated or disregarded."
Metran said the seepage would worsen if the structure remains unfinished as the sand in a concrete mixture can easily be eroded when this is constantly exposed to wind and rain, especially because the chipping remains a rough area.
Metran insisted the roofdeck is not structurally flawed as being insisted by some city councilors, thus, he should not be sued for neglect of duty for ordering its construction.
In a separate interview, Metran said, that while the roofdeck project and the building are structurally sound, leaving the roofdeck project unfinished as it is now -- with the steel beams, girders and joints exposed to the elements -- can lead to its hastened deterioration.
He smirked at some city councilors whom he said are acting as if they are engineers when they are not.
"The building for all its defects is structurally sound," he said.
In his affidavit answering the accusations that he must be held liable for the alleged "structural defect" of the roofdeck project, he said, he was just implementing an already approved and funded project by his predecessor, Engineer Joaquin Cui, and thus should not be held liable.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 28, 2006 issue)
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