BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – The contractor of the People’s House or city hall here may be summoned to an investigation.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod is keen on probing the flooding at city hall on Aug. 28. It is thought that a defective downspout caused it.
The city hall was built by Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., a Metro-Manila based company now under fire for the allegedly overpriced parking building of the local government of Makati City.
According to Mayor Monico Puentevella, councilors Alex Paglumotan and Wilson Gamboa Jr. were eager to lead the investigation.
They were also planning to review the city government’s contract with Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., said the mayor.
They will check if the contractor can still be asked to repair whatever part of the city hall that caused the flooding, said Puentevella.
According to Paglumotan, under the country’s building code, the contract has a 15-year warranty.
Every time it rains, the People’s House gets flooded, said Puentevella, but the one on Aug. 28 was too much.
A check showed a downspout not working. Water collected in the gutter did not drain into it.
The three-storey city hall was constructed during the administration of Puentevella’s predecessor, Evelio Leonardia (now congressman). It was then called the New Government Center.
Now eight years old, it was completed in 2006./PN
