City to renovate condominium
But Council wants to be sure if 2013 earthquake had not contributed to building’s damage
THE five-storey condominium owned by the Cebu City Government along N. Bacalso Ave. will soon undergo a P20-million renovation.
However, the City Council wants the City to get a second opinion from an independent group of structural engineers regarding the integrity of the facility.
The plan to renovate the condominium was disclosed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña after he was informed that the 20-year-old facility can still be repaired.
“We are spending P20 million to modernize the condominium. No (it will not be demolished) because they said it is okay. It just needs repair,” he said.
Although it was not disclosed yet where funds for the project will be sourced or when the renovation will start, Osmeña said the amount will be used to repair the facility’s bathrooms and buy furniture.
Engineers from the General Services Office and the Office of the Building Official (OBO) inspected the condominium in June and found out that the building had many signs of damage.
In an inspection re- port, they said the ceiling of the facility is severely damaged, that it had leaking pipes and condemned plumbing systems.
The water tanks on the roof deck are also dilapidated and the cisterns are no longer functioning.
OBO chief Engr. Josefa Ylanan said the decision of the mayor to renovate the condominium was based on the recommendation of the City engineers and building evaluators.
“It should only be retrofitted para mabalik iyang functionality,” she said.
Funds
The renovation, Ylanan said, may start as soon as the City can already set aside funds for it.
Asked what will happen to those who are currently living in the condominium, Ylanan said the renovation can be done in phases so they will not be displaced.
“Temporary balhinbalhin lang sila sa other kwarto siguro, not necessarily that the building will be vacated,” she said.
The condominium is occupied by around 600 students from the mountain barangays who are scholars of the City.
The building has 17 rooms on each floor. Each room can accommodate 10 to 11 students. The occupants are paying P350 per month to the City.
The council, however, is seeking a second opinion on the build- ing’s integrity.
Councilor Jerry Guardo, in his approved resolution, said the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in 2013 might have contributed to the dilapidation of the building.
He cited a provision of the New Civil Code of the Philippines that says that if a building, wall, column or any other construction is in danger of falling, the owner of the building shall be obliged to demolish it or execute the necessary work in order to prevent it from falling.
Guardo wants the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers to inspect the building to determine the structural stability of the condominium.