OBO orders construction of City Mall stopped

CEBU City's Office of the Building Official (OBO) suspended the construction of a mall on N. Bacalso St. after a crane collapsed on the houses near the project site and injured a person.

OBO Chief Engr. Josefa Ylanan said the suspension order was sent to the contractor of City Mall yesterday.

“We suspended the work so we will know what's going on. The contractor will also have to explain what exactly happened. Our inspectors are required to submit an incident report,” she said.

Based on OBO's records, Ylanan said the project has an approved building permit, dated January 2016.

In an interview yesterday, Ylanan said it was reportedly not the first time that the crane threatened the lives of people near the project site.

She said an architect residing near the area visited her office yesterday and said they had a previous complaint about the matter. However, the complaint did not reach OBO because the problem was settled between the contractor and concerned residents.

Aside from the crane, however, Pahina Central Barangay Captain Carlo Yap said the residents have also complained about the operations of the contractor.

Yap said the engineers of the project ignored their summons to address the complaints.

According to Ylanan, the residents' complaints will be included in the inspection report of the OBO personnel.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña, for his part, said that the City Government will give financial aid to families affected by the incident.