Cebu contractor suspended after bunkhouse collapse

CEBU CITY—The Office of the Building Official (OBO) in Cebu City immediately ordered the suspension of all projects undertaken by J.E. Abraham C. Lee Construction and Development Inc. following the collapse of its bunkhouse, which housed more than 160 construction workers in Barangay Lahug on Tuesday.

Cebu City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez said they found out that the contractor has no business permit since 2001.

It also failed to secure another permit to construct a bunkhouse, he added.

“Under the Building Code, contractors have to secure permits for its bunkhouses. The way you look at it, its bunkhouse is not really for workers, but a storage room for construction materials,” he said.

Bernaldez urged the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) to determine whether or not the contractor complied with the safety protocols.

Both the OBO in Cebu City and the DOLE-7 are conducting separate investigations regarding the collapse.

Five workers were killed in the incident while 154 other were hurt during the incident.

The fatalities were Iveen Villarin, 23, of Langtad, City of Naga; Jason Bacalso, 22, Langtad, City of Naga; Francisco Diapera, 45, of Pag-asa, Lutopan, Toledo City, all from Cebu province; Carlos Caliwa, 61, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental; and Crisenciano Silomen, 57, Kauswagan, Trinidad, Bohol. /je