2 dead, 11 hurt as Taguig condo flooring collapses

RESCUERS look for construction workers buried under freshly-poured cement and metal scaffolding after part of the flooring in a building under construction in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, gives way. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines—Two construction workers were killed while 11 others were injured after part of the concrete flooring of a condominium under construction in Taguig City collapsed on Wednesday morning.

Taguig police chief Senior Supt. Arthur Asis said the incident at The Suites construction site in Bonifacio Global City took place at 8:10 a.m.

According to Chief Insp. Junito Maslang, officer in charge of the local fire unit who went to the scene, a “slab” of the newly-constructed concrete flooring collapsed after the scaffolding (iron bars supporting the structure) gave way.

“Upon verification, we saw the slab of the flooring they were constructing; they had just poured cement there and that’s what fell. The scaffolding fell first, then the structure followed,” Maslang told reporters.

The fire official said that some of the construction workers were standing on the flooring when it gave way and fell on other laborers who were on the next floor.

Maslang identified the fatalities as Renan dela Cruz and Ruben Racraquiam. Both were found buried underneath parts of the scaffolding and cement. They were rushed to St. Luke’s Medical Center where they were declared dead on arrival.

The injured workers were identified as Sandy Vargas, Jaymar Carberta, Regan Cabmutin, Larry Magguray, Wendil Behim, Aldrin Gahuman, Roberto Lorca, Darwin Avara, Bernard Tugade, Jonathan Agoso and Delinger Abara. Some complained of pain in different parts of their bodies while others were being treated for back pain and possible fractures.

They were also taken to St. Luke’s Medical Center except for Tugade who was rushed to Ospital ng Makati. Six of them have since been discharged, according to Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. (FBDC), a unit of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI). The condominium building is part of ALI’s planned mixed-use real estate project.

The last worker to be retrieved from the site was Racraquiam who was found at 1:35 p.m., Maslang said.

The Taguig City government has ordered construction work at the site stopped pending an investigation.

The FBDC, meanwhile, vowed to help all the victims. In a statement, it said that it has been coordinating with contractors of the upscale residential-commercial-office complex being marketed as “One Bonifacio High Street” to attend to their needs.

The company said that at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the “formworks” of the structure under construction “gave way during concrete pouring on the upper ground floor of the building.”

It identified the principal contractor of the project tower

—which will include a retail area, offices and a 63-story condominium building once completed—as the Makati Development Corp. (MDC).

The MDC, on the other hand, used a subcontractor, Fastem Construction Inc., which employed the deceased and injured workers.

“We are one in grief and prayers with the families of the fatalities,” FBDC head of commercial operations Manny Blas said in a statement. “We will make sure that their families receive the necessary assistance. As to the injured, every help for them to fully recover will be extended. At the same time, we are fully cooperating with authorities who are investigating the accident.”