Boracay construction suspended

ILOILO CITY—Work has been indefinitely suspended at a construction site on Boracay Island following the Sept. 23 accident that left a worker dead and two others injured.

Azur Gelito, head engineer of the Boracay Redevelopment Task Force, said the stoppage order issued to contractor Datem Inc. covering the construction site in Barangay Yapac would remain pending results of an investigation being conducted on the accident.

“We will also determine if there were liabilities or lapses committed by (Datem Inc.),” Gelito told the Inquirer on Sunday.

He said representatives of the construction company and his office would meet today to discuss the incident and requirements to be complied with before construction work at the 100-hectare property could resume.

Initial investigation being conducted by the municipal engineering office showed that excavated soil at a basement digging could have loosened and eventually collapsed due to continuous rains.

The three workers were assessing the condition of the site due to the rain when a 5-meter high mound of excavated soil and rocks fell on them.

The Boracay Tourist Assistance Center, the island’s police force, is also conducting a separate investigation on the failure of the contractor to report the incident to the police.

Security guards also initially denied entry to policemen who tried to enter the site.

Policemen and personnel of the municipal engineering office managed to enter the site and confirm the accident only more than six hours after it happened.