See a big crack? Have building inspected – OBO

THE pre-war  Gotiaco building across  Cebu City Hall should be abandoned immediately, officals said.

Engineer Josefa Ylanan, Office of the Building Official chief, said Monday’s earthquake further weakened the building, which is being leased by the city for  offices  and a warehouse for City Hall’s market operations division.

The OBO received several requests for inspection of government and privately owned structures yesterday in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Ordinary citizens could help assess the safety of buildings by looking at  cracks.

If the cracks are as big as  a finger, they should request OBO assistance.

But hairline cracks are no cause for alarm, she said.

“Private building owners should hire engineers to inspect their structures,” she said.

Ylanan said OBO finished inspecting City Hall  and the city-owned  condominium on  N. Bacalso Avenue.

“We have to assure the general public that our buildings are safe,” she said.

The city condominium, which is used as a lodging house for college students from mountain barangays,   was ordered vacated following the  earthquake.

Occupants were allowed to return yesterday.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday,  OBO received  requests from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Banilad office, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

A team from the City Engineering Office already visited the CCMC Monday afternoon to check on reported cracks found in their Operating Room. The inspection was delayed due to a patient’s operation.

Several public schools also asked for an inspection.

“Parents don’t want to send their children to school unless they’re certain of the safety of the buildings,” said Ylanan.

She said requests for the inspection of school buildings may be handled by the local Department of Education (DepEd) office because they have their own building inspectors.

Ylanan said the OBO has 33 personnel of which only eight are civil engineers capable of assessing the structural integrity of buildings.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the inspection of two City Hall buildings and other city owned structures immediately after the earthquake.

Ylanan said she and city building administrator engineer  Emiliano Cruz, found hairline cracks on the third and fifth floors of the executive building that are occupied by the city treasurers and the MICs offices.

New cracks were also found on the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) office in barangay Labangon, but Ylanan said this is “not alarming.”

In Mandaue City, the school buildings of the Umapad Elementary School, Opao Elementary School, Guizo Elementary and Central Elementary School are recommended for closure after big cracks were found on its beams and posts.

All classes in public and private schools in Mnadaue City and Lapu-Lapu City will resume today while designated personnel are still evaluating the extent of the damages.

In Lapu-Lapu City, Mayor Paz Radaza said residents of coastal areas were ordered to move to higher ground. With Correspondents Gabriel C. Bonjoc and Norman V. Mendoza