AFTER the death of a four-year-old boy who fell from a unit on the 27th floor of a condominium in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, the Office of the Building Official (OBO) has temporarily closed the unit pending submission of incident report and completion of building design inspection.
OBO head Florante Catalan led the ocular inspection of the unit of the Median Condominium on Thursday, April 11, three days after the fatal incident happened on Monday, April 8.
On Tuesday, April 9, City Councilor Rey Gealon issued a resolution requesting OBO to investigate the incident to determine if an occupancy permit was issued for the unit and check any design flaws that may have contributed to the child’s fall.
The investigation also aims to prevent similar incidents and ensure the safety of all condominium residents.
Catalan told reporters on Thursday that the temporary closure will only apply to the unit from which the child fell. Other units in the condo will not be affected.
Catalan added that the management has not yet submitted its report on the incident, which is required before his office will decide to reopen the condo unit.
However, he said he would allow the management sufficient time to prepare the report.
Design inspection
Catalan said the condominium has two designs: the first design has a terrace and the other features only awning-type windows.
According to initial reports, the boy fell from the unit without a terrace. He was rushed to the hospital; however, doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.
Catalan said they mandated the condominium management to inspect its building’s architectural design, particularly its windows.
He noted that the awning windows are equipped only with limiters that restrict the opening.
When asked if the management will be compelled to alter the condominium’s window designs, Catalan said it would depend on the assessment of the management’s architectural team.
“Dili ta makahilabot man gud sa designers kon unsa,” he said.
(We cannot interfere with what the designers decide.)
Undeclared
Catalan said the boy’s family was only renting the unit. The family allegedly had not informed the unit’s owner that they had children with them.
He said the boy’s family had already vacated the unit.
When asked who would be accountable for the incident, Catalan said he was not sure yet.
“Dili lang pod nato i-blame tanan. Kita nga mga ginikanan usa pod sa (atong katungdanan) nga bantayan nato atong anak,” he said.
(We should not solely blame anyone; as parents, it is also our responsibility to watch over our children.)
An investigation by the police revealed that the boy’s body hit a canopy on the third floor before falling to the floor near the swimming pool.
Before the incident, the boy’s mother went to the kitchen to prepare coffee, leaving her two children, including the four-year-old in the room. She believed her children were asleep. / AML