Baguio mulls revoking erring construction companies’ permits

BAGUIO CITY — The city government of Baguio is mulling revoking the work resumption permits of construction companies found to be non-compliant to the minimum health and safety standards laid down to address the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Baguio City Administrator Bonifacio de la Peña disclosed Friday that inspections they conducted yielded that some companies and their workers appeared to have been remiss in following protocols as their work progressed.

The City Buildings and Architecture Office department under Architect Johnny Degay had been instructed to revoke the work resumption permit granted a firm found to have violated the health and safety standards for Covid-19 resulting to a cluster of 51 cases among its workforce.

De la Peña further stated that the Sanitation Division of the City Health Services Office under Engr. Charles Carame will begin conducting random and regular rounds of inspection of construction sites and this will be sustained year-round.

The city official further stated that since the city allowed construction works to resume amid the health crisis, all contractors undertaking projects had been required to comply with the minimum health standards in their work stations before they were issued permits to start or resume work.

However, in the course of their jobs, some of them had become negligent of the safety measures.

He said this was what happened to the construction company hit by a cluster of Covid-19 cases in the past weeks.

“At the outset they were compliant and even presented ideal conditions of their construction sites and barracks but as their work progressed, they became complacent. They hired additional laborers but did not add more facilities resulting to cramped and unsanitary condition and the spread of the virus,” De la Peña said.

Baguio City Administrator Bonifacio De la Peña disclosed Friday that inspections they conducted yielded that some companies and their workers appeared to have been remiss in following protocols as their work progressed.