ILOILO City – A building in Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao district where a young man lost a foot in a freak accident is safe for public use, according to the Iloilo City Engineering Office – Office of the Building Official (OBO).
According to OBO building inspector Engineer Jonberlie Ladua, the building has an Occupancy Permit for a portion of it as early as November last year.
“Our OBO Team won’t approve the Occupancy Permit if that portion of the building was found unsafe,” Ladua told reporters.
A Black Saturday accident at the building raised doubts on the safety practices of the construction company building it.
Part of a construction equipment being used on the 14-storey building fell on a 16-year-old lad below. He lost his right foot.
Not one to leave anything to chance, Jeck Conlu, chief of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office, recommended to Mayor Jose Espinosa III on April 4 that construction activities at the building be stopped.
The city mayor is yet to act on Conlu’s recommendation.
Ladua said the first five stories of the building, currently used as parking area, were compliant with the requirements as far as the Occupancy Permit was concerned such as mechanical, plumbing, electrical, architectural, line and grade, and structural.
Ladua said the OBO conducted an inspection on April 2 and noted that there were no more works outside the building, thus, there was no need for debris catches./PN