MEPZ workers sent home; call center buildings inspected

CALL center employees at the Cebu City IT Park had to wait for hours before being allowed to return to work in their buildings while workers at the Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) were sent home following yesterday’s earthquake.

Some employees in MEPZ-1 got injured after panicked employees rushed out of the third floor of a building.

MEPZ administrator Sansaluna Pinagayao declared a suspension of work to allow inspection of all buildings within the zone.

Sgt. Zaldy Ducalios of the MEPZ police said some workers were taken to the hospitals by the MEPZ ambulance while cracks were seen in the walls of some buildings. Power lines were also busted, he said.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza ordered Engr. Allan Pedrigal of the City Engineering Office to head the inspection team.

Work will resume in MEPZ today but public schools are closed for inspection.

Radaza also ordered an inspection of all hotels, resorts, public school buildings and markets.

The city public market was already cleared but has yet to resume operations at its 2nd floor because of the aftershocks.

All Lapu-Lapu City government employees are expected to return to work today.

In Cebu City Jeanette Japson, Cebu Holdings Inc. corporate communications manager of Cebu Holdings Inc. corporate communications manager, said their buildings eBloc 1 and eBloc 2 at the IT Park were declared by an engineering inspection team as “structurally safe and sound.”

But she said they haven’t allowed any of their tenants like Accenture to resume operations yet until they are certain it is already safe for people to come in.

“Our crisis management team said there were no major injuries to persons nor major damage inflicted to property in Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT park,” Cebu Holdings Inc, said in a text messages sent to Cebu Daily News.,

The company said they expect the team to finish the inspection of their properties within the day (yesterday).

“Our property management team continues to be on yellow alert with the continuing aftershocks,” the company said in a text message to CDN. Reporters Aileen Garcia-Yap and Jucell Marie P. Cuyos and Correspondent Norman Mendoza