School contractor faces suspension of other city projects

A CONSTRUCTION company will lose existing contracts with the Cebu city government if it does not satisfactorily repair a two-story school building at the Toong Integrated School.

Even if the school building project was already completed more than a year ago, MSDLR Construction is responsible for fixing defects on the structure, said Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, chairman of the City Council’s infrastructure committee.

“I will move for the suspension of their other contracts with the city if they do not do well their work in Toong,” Cabarrubias told Cebu Daily News.

Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he would ask City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to look into the Toong problem.

“If they (contractor) will have to face a suit, let them face a suit,” the mayor said.

Cabarrubias said he would send engineer Jonadine Sison, a construction inspector of the Department of Engineering and Public Works, to check MSLDR’s repair works.

“I will ask for an assessment of their work. It is not good that the work is being delayed,” Cabarrubias said.

He said that he would also have the contractor’s existing contracts with the city reviewed so he could recommend their suspension until repair works on the Toong building are completed.

MSDLR is also the contractor for improvements on the Carbon market.

“It’s really a challenge but I am encouraged by the support of my colleagues (in the City Council) and even (from) the executive department because I’ve gotten the support of the city treasurer,” the councilor said.

Cracks were found on the second-story floor of the school building a year after its occupancy while its first floor ceiling sagged.

Edwin Villamor, Toong school principal, said MSLDR construction workers started their repair of the first floor ceiling in May.

They installed steel beams as support for the first floor ceiling while epoxy was applied on the second floor cracks.

However, Villamor said repair works remain unfinished because workers do not work daily.

The number of MSDLR workers has gone down from 10 to only five. The workers come on certain days to do repair works and leave without informing school officials.

Villamor said construction workers did not report for work on Tuesday.