Accident site sealed off; joint agency probe next week
CEBU City Hall will lead an inter-agency probe into the the May 8 collapse of a river riprap in barangay Talamban where two persons will killed.
The inquiry on Tuesday will assess the damage and type of assistance to be given to the families, said Regional Director Alexis Lopez of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).
The accident site was roped off yesterday keeping out unauthorized people from the shanties near Casa del Rio Subdivision .
While some families returned to their homes, most riverside dwellers have moved to a government sports center.
The developer Commonwealth Estate Inc. submitted a new design for the stone riprap fence to the Office of the Building Official (OBO) yesterday.
Engr. Josefa Ylanan, OBO chief, said she sent the design to the City Engineering’s Office for review.
It will take at least 15 days to review the plans and process the building permit.
Ylanan said the riprap of Casa del Rio subdivision falls under the supervision of the OBO since it is a vertical development.
The developer will start mitigation measures as soon as the design for a new riprap is approved.
Ylanan said the developer will be required to submit a detailed plan on their retaining wall.
Ylanan said the City Planning and Development Office should not approve a project until it has secured all permits like the barangay clearance. “
City planning should tell us if the riprap is included in the original permit,” she said.
Engr. Alipio Bacalso, Jr., CPDO coordinator, said the riprap fence design was part of the development plan submitted in 2009.
Ylanan said some developers don’t wait long for the permits and proceed with the construction.
Ylanan said the shanties and other structures built along the riverbanks in barangay Talamban are illegal because it’s located within the three-meter easement zone in the riverbanks.
Instead of leaving, the residents sought help from local officials to repair the cracks on the stone riprap fence that was reportedly sustained from last February’s earthquake.
An inspection done last Wednesday by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of Central Visayas (MGB-7) showed that the fence was built too high.
The MGB team also said the soil was originally quartermary alluvium consisting of gradually deposited sand, clay and silt owing to its location beside the Budlaan River.
The developer mixed the soil with limestone, which the team said made it too thick. The rains also loosened the soil, leading to the eventual collapse of the stone riprap fence.
MGB-7 Senior Science Specialist Abraham R. Lucero Jr. said a benching type of riprap was better than the 20 to 30 feet riprap structure.Correspondents Jessa Chrisna Marie J. Agua and Tweeny M. Malinao
