OWNERS of business establishments in Cebu City who will fail to conduct a maintenance audit of their buildings may not be able to renew their business permits.
The City Council approved yesterday a resolution urging the Office of the Building Official (OBO) not to recommend to the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) the renewal of business permits of commercial buildings that have not been inspected by a third-party auditor or consultant.
The Council wants all commercial buildings inspected to ensure the integrity of the structure, and make sure that all mechanical, electrical plumbing and fire protection designs are appropriate.
The resolution was passed following the collapse of a portion of the ceiling of Ayala Center Cebu's Cinema 5 last week.
In an earlier interview, OBO chief Engr. Jose Marie Poblete asked all business establishments, particularly those that cater to large crowds, to conduct a maintenance audit of their buildings.
Summoned
In his resolution, Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias also called for an executive session with the management of Ayala on July 8 to shed light on why the cinema’s ceiling collapsed.
Last June 15, water flowed from the ceiling of the movie house before a portion of the ceiling collapsed.
Nine people were injured.
"There is a need to look into the cause of the incident and for Ayala Center Cebu management to recommend and suggest measures how to prevent such incident to happen not only in cinemas but in all of its buildings, it is appropriate that the management express their side of the matter," said Cabarrubias, who chairs the council's committee on infrastructure.
Because of the incident, OBO asked the management of Ayala to submit a report on the incident within seven days.
The seven-day period lapsed yesterday. As of 2 p.m., however, OBO assistant chief architect Florante Catalan said the management has yet to submit the report.
Aside from Ayala, Mayor Michael Rama also ordered other cinema operators in the city to inspect their facilities and buildings and submit an inspection report to OBO.