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Inspectors find major structural cracks on downtown condo

The City Government has ordered the management of the Magallanes Residences to vacate one of its buildings after “major structural cracks” were noted.

Engr. Cerenia Grace Catubig, the officer-in-charge of the Office of the City Building Official (OCBO), said the management of the condominium complex should vacate the occupants of its Toledo Building after major structural cracks were found on the beams and slabs.

Joint teams from the OCBO, the City Engineer’s Office, the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers – Davao and the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines – Davao conducted the inspection on Magallanes Residences located in Magallanes, Barangay 1-A, Poblacion District.

The inspection was done two days after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the city on Dec. 15.

Catubig also required the management to submit their structural test results, computations/calculations and comprehensive structural plan for rectification/retrofitting methods on the beams and slabs, signed and sealed by their civil/structural engineer/s for information and strict compliance.

In a letter dated issued last Friday and received by the respondent on the same day, Catubig gave the building management five days to comply the order.

The OCBO said the order is based on Presidential Decree No. 1096, otherwise known the National Building Code of the Philippines and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

The officer cites Sections 214 and 215.

The two sections specify that “dangerous buildings” should either be repaired, vacated or demolished “depending upon the degree of danger to life, health or safety.”

Based on davaocitybybattad.blogspot.com, Magallanes Residences is a midrise residential condominium, consisting of three seven-story buildings: Valencia (Building 1) with 108 residential units and seven commercial units; Barcelona (Building 2) and Toledo (Building 3) have 112 residential units each. Condominium units cost from P1.5 million to P3.3 million.

The condominium was built in 2000 by DMC Urban Property Developers, Inc., said to be the same developer of Ecoland 4000 Residences in Barangay 76-A, Talomo District that collapsed following an earthquake last Oct. 31.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte berated real estate developer Isidro Consunji over the collapsed Ecoland 4000 Residences.

He threatened to deny government permits for other projects of the businessman, who also operates coal mines.

In November, the Palmetto Place in Barangay Ma-a, Talomo District was shut down after major cracks were noted following a series of earthquakes that hit Mindanao in October.

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