‘Demolish bldg, turn area into park’

The Cebu city government is asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to demolish the Gotiaco Building after city engineers declared it unsafe for occupancy.

Engineer Ariel dela Cruz, the city’s structural consultant, found that the columns of the building, built in 1947,  developed cracks after last week’s earthquake.

The DENR owns the entire block where the Gotiaco building stands.

“We have already asked DENR to apply for demolition permit with OBO and they have asked us to furnish them with the needed forms,” said City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete.

Poblete said the city government could help the DENR demolish the structures in their in lot.

In turn, he said, the Office of the Mayor would ask the DENR to convert the property into a senior citizen’s park.

However, without funds, Poblete said, the city could still convert the area into an open space with minimum landscape and some benches.

In the meantime, the Cebu city government installed iron railings around the Gotiaco Building to prevent anybody from getting hurt in case the building would collapse.

Mayor Michael Rama said he wanted the cordon to include neighboring structures, which might also developed cracks after last week’s earthquake.

Rama said these structures were also in danger in the event that the Gotiaco building  would collapse.

“We’ll close the entire block and no one should be allowed to pass the area so that if any untoward incident will happen, the city won’t be blamed,” said Rama in Cebuano.

Poblete, who formed a team to install the railings, said these railings would later be extended to other neighboring structures.

Market authority personnel, which used to occupy the building, were already relocated to the second floor of the Taboan Public Market.

Notices to vacate were already served to the about 60 occupants of structures beside the Gotiaco building. /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac