City engineers: Toong school building needs minimal corrections

CEBU City engineers yesterday asked the contractor of the Toong Integrated School building to implement “minimal” corrections on the two-story structure before they would advise it to be occupied.

“It is okay for occupancy after they (MSLDR Construction) comply with all our requirements. We’ll give them a week and we’ll do another inspection,” said engineer June Nadine Sison, head of the construction division of the Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Sison led city engineers in inspecting the building to check on the correction measures done by the MSLDR on the building.

“This should serve as a lesson for all (city hall contractors) to be careful with their construction projects,” said City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez.

Enriquez said that city hall infrastructure projects are covered with a 15-year warranty, which gives her office the authority to compel contractors to redo projects which do not satisfy the DEPW standards.

The Toong school building was completed in 2007 yet it was vacated this school year because of defects on its second-floor cemented flooring.

Its first-floor ceiling was also sagging and caused vibrations on upper-floor occupants.

The city engineers recommended the retrofitting of the steel beams and that cracks should be sufficiently filled with epoxy.

MSLDR Construction, which has been doing corrective measures on the building defects since May, asked the engineering office for a site inspection last week. /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac