BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya Thursday, June 20, directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct an investigation on Domingo Lacson National High School (DLNHS) classroom’s ceiling that collapsed on Tuesday.
Gasataya said he was informed that the ceiling of a classroom at DLNHS collapsed on Tuesday and fortunately, it was a holiday and no one was injured.
“They should investigate it and make an appropriate action to avoid similar incidents. We should ensure the safety of students and teachers. We will wait their report,” he said.
For his part, district engineer Abraham Villareal said the school building was constructed in 2016 which was funded by the Department of Education (DepEd).
“According to the contractor, the Supreme ABF Construction, that there was a perennial robbery inside the school which possibly caused the collapsed of the ceiling,” he said.
“There was somebody who went up the ceiling,” he added.
Villareal said the contractor will shoulder the repair even though it’s not included in the warranty period.
In his letter to Villareal Thursday, Bernabe Gilbor, authorized managing officer of Supreme ABF Construction, said that they completed and turned over the building almost two years ago to the school’s administration.
He said that upon receiving the report, they also conducted their own investigation.
“We conclude that there’s someone wanted to pilfer our installed ceiling materials and passed through the ceiling and stocked the stolen items causing the ceiling to partially collapsed,” he said.
Gilbor noted that the materials used and the method of installation of the ceiling is in accordance with the plans and specifications.
“Any additional weight imposed on the ceiling will eventually cause the ceiling to give-in as it is only designed to carry the weight of the fiber cement board,” Gilbor said.
He said the material pilferage has been a perennial problem during the course of their construction of the structure.
“We’ve lost a sizable quantity of reinforcing bars and tie wires, bag of cements, door knobs, panel doors, electrical wires and lightings, jalousie glasses, plumbing fixtures, painting materials and many accounted items,” he added.