THE engineering team of Suntrust Properties Incorporated [SPI] has promised to repair within two weeks Tower Condominium's retaining wall, which collapsed last July 29 due to the latter's ongoing construction of a high-rise building along Gibraltar Road, Baguio City.
Tower Condominium is beside the ongoing construction of the beleaguered SPI. The retaining wall along Gibraltar road collapsed a number of times endangering not only the lives and properties of the adjoining community but at the same time destroying the said road in front of the construction site.
Anna Manayon, president of Tower Condominium Incorporated, said “with this incident, we are demanding from SPI the immediate restoration of the perimeter walls as well as the rehabilitation of the compromised foundation of the affected areas as recommended by an approved and licensed structural engineer within an acceptable and reasonable time.”
Manayon, in a letter, said the collapsed portion of the perimeter wall is damaging not just the immediate wall but the security cameras, perimeter lighting, landscaping, and exposing the water pipe that connects to the driveway tank, generally compromising foundation of the driveway and the parking area of the condominium.
“Time and again, we have raised these concerns, particularly during the last city council meeting held last May 22 to address the Gibraltar road damage along Mines View. Through we were not given the full measure of time to express the complete list of our concerns, we left that meeting with the understanding that what has happened to the National Road will be avoided on our side of the development,” the letter states.
During a surprise inspection Thursday, August 3, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog was able to join Tower Condominium homeowners, city engineers with SPI representatives in a meeting.
Manayon said there have been communications with SPI before the collapse.
“Our Administrative officer has been, consistent in bringing to the attention of the appropriate offices and officers these concerns, one of Suntrust’s commitment to the initial Environmental Examination checklist submitted to the DENR is to avoid long exposure of open cut, this area, we have observed, has been exposed since the month April,” Manayon added.
Tower Condominium tenants as well as residents in the area have opposed SPI's expansion of its original six-storey building as early as 2015, which they said have caused the collapse along Gibraltar Road.