THE Cebu City Office of the Building Official (OBO) has urged the public to report hazardous and illegal structures in the city.
That way, it will know which building to check and what action to take, said OBO head Florante Catalan, who added that his office has been randomly inspecting buildings in the city.
“If the public happens to see hazardous buildings, they should report it to the office so we can immediately take action. We can check the building. We can visit the site if it is safe or not,” he said.
Illegal structures are those buildings under construction that have no building permit numbers.
He also needs the help of barangays to monitor building projects in their areas of jurisdiction, adding that developers and contractors cannot proceed with a project without a barangay clearance.
Catalan reminded the village chiefs of City Ordinance 1481, which gives barangay officials the power to issue a barangay clearance.
A portion of Juanita Bldg. on Gorordo Ave. in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City collapsed at dawn on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019.
During his meeting with the developer Vista Residences Inc., contractor IPM Construction and Development Corp. and subcontractor Corrtech Inc., it was agreed that they would put up additional anchors to stabilize the slope protection work on the area affected by the cave-in, as well as on the adjacent building, which is also under construction.
For now, the contractors of both projects have started implementing mitigating measures. (JJL)