SAYING that the building is unlivable, two offices of the Cebu City Government want the occupants of the City-owned condominium along N. Bacalso Ave. to vacate the place.
The five-storey condominium is occupied by around 600 students from the mountain barangays. Majority of them are scholars of the City.
The building has 17 rooms on each floor. Each room can accommodate 10 to 11 students. The occupants there are paying P350 per month to the City.
Last Monday, the General Services Office (GSO) and the Office of the Building Official (OBO) inspected the 20-year-old facility and found that the building had many signs of damages.
In an inspection report they submitted to Acting Mayor Margarita Osmeña yesterday afternoon, GSO and OBO said the ceiling of the five-storey building is “severely damaged.”
It also has leaking pipes and the plumbing systems are already “condemned.” The water tanks on the roof deck are dilapidated and the cisterns are no longer functioning.
It was also found out during the inspection that the doors of the facility are damaged. Its walls have visible cracks both on its interior and exterior portion.
The façade and the back part of of the building are now detached from the building itself.
“This is also unsafe to the adjacent property,” the report, which was penned by Architect Danny Lim and Engr. Judalyn Lemocero, said.
They recommended that the building be vacated immediately to prevent untoward incidents.
“The rehabilitation of the building is highly recommended,” the report said.
Osmeña, when asked for comment, said she will meet with OBO and GSO today regarding the matter.
She said the safety of the boarders of the condominium is the City’s priority.
The condominium was previously managed by Sudlon I Barangay Captain Dante Tabucal. It was assigned to him by outgoing Mayor Michael Rama.
Now, its operations will already be overseen by GSO.
The condominium was built by the City in 1996 during the term of former mayor Alvin Garcia, supposedly to provide homes to the qualified urban poor in the city.
Meanwhile, Osmeña said the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) along N. Bacalso Ave. might have to be temporarily stopped, as the contractor has no building permit from the OBO.
“Yes, the completion of the project might be delayed. But we have to do things right,” she said. The contractor of the 10-storey new hospital had targeted to finish the project by April 2017.
Osmeña said she intends to meet with the OBO, the Department of Engineering and Public Works and the contractor to discuss the matter.