A SECTION of Legaspi Street in Cebu City beside the construction project of the new Patria de Cebu collapsed amid heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 13, 2023, forcing the transportation office to implement road closures in the area, which caused traffic, pushed motorists to look for alternative routes and inconvenienced commuters.

The collapsed portion of Legaspi Street in Barangay Sto. Niño was six meters, according to Harold Alcontin, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

Alcontin said their initial assessment showed that the collapse was caused by the combination of heavy rainfall and soft soil.

Notice of violation

Following the incident, the construction work at Patria de Cebu was also temporarily stopped.

The incident made the Office of the Building Official issue a notice of violation to the management of Patria de Cebu and Dakay Construction and Development Corp. Wednesday.

OBO head Florante Catalan, in a text message to SunStar Cebu, said the management of Patria de Cebu and Dakay Construction are required to submit a report regarding the incident, provide mitigation and rectification plans, and outline their methodology as soon as possible.

Catalan said the suspension would only be lifted if the two entities comply with the requirements set by OBO.

In a Facebook post, Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, said Dakay Construction had assured him that the area will be restored and reopened “to at least one-lane traffic within two days” or on Friday.

Garcia also said that there were no reported injuries as a result of the incident.

Road closures

The Cebu City Transportation Office announced at 2:16 p.m. on its Facebook page a temporary road closure on the collapsed portion of Legaspi Street. It closed the intersection of Lapu-Lapu Street and Osmeña Boulevard, and the intersection of Legaspi Street and M.J. Cuenco Avenue.

The construction of the new Patria de Cebu began in 2021 after the Archdiocese of Cebu and Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) entered into an agreement.

CLI leased the property for 40 years and commenced the construction of a 14-story building to operate as a hotel with retail spaces, as well as a six-story building to house a supermarket and several offices on the 6,670-square-meter lot, according to previous reports from SunStar Cebu.

Patria was originally built in 1954 as a recreation center for Catholic youth. (RJM, JJL)