Wednesday, May 21, 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
THE Department of Public Works and Highways is set to renew its crackdown on old government facilities, structures and hospitals that pose a serious threat to public safety.
The department’s renewed crackdown on old and condemnable structures comes a week after a powerful earthquake struck mainland China, killing thousands of people and destroying hundreds of infrastructures.
National Building Code Development Office Executive Director Emmanuel Cuntapay said the crackdown will focus government structures that are more than 30 years old.
“Generally, buildings that are 30 years old already and above are already a subject for demolition, since the designs are still part of the old Structural Code of the Philippines,” Cuntapay said.
The building official said the inspection of old government structures is part of efforts to ensure the safety of the public, as some structures have been recommended for demolition.
“Most especially old school buildings and hospitals, we have recommended a lot for demolition or retrofitting but [the] concerned government agencies have other priorities,” Cuntapay said.
The official cited as an example the Manila High School, which was inspected earlier by building officials and was recommended for demolition by building experts.
But Cuntapay said the Department of Education will probably not agree on shouldering the cost for the demolition since the department’s primary concern is to maximize the use of all classrooms.
The official added that the cost of demolition of old structures should be shouldered by the concerned government agencies, while in the case pf abandoned buildings, the Public Works department takes the initiative in tearing it apart.
“The problem is that there’s no cooperation. We here at the department, we’re often [tagged] as nuisances to them because our concern is public safety,” Cuntapay said.
The official added that building owners, private or government, should be responsible in the retrofitting of their structures and should not wait for any disaster to come before taking such action.
“As a first step, we have mobilized our building officials, through a department order, to conduct an inventory of all buildings in their areas to check if there has been any modification done to their facilities,” Cuntapay said. -- Anthony Vargas
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