Occupants of the Toledo building of the Magallanes Residences can still go back to their units once the structural engineers of DMCI will institute corrective measures.
“We will still give them time to correct what needs to be corrected,” said Cirinia Grace Catubig, Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) head. “It will now depend on the structural engineer of Toledo on how they will work on the damage before we can allow residents to go back in their units.”
The Toledo Building of Magallanes Residences was tagged as code red, which meant that occupants need to vacate it for safety reasons.
The inspection was conducted by OCBO, City Engineer’s Office, Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Davao, and Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines Davao.
She said they originally tagged the building as yellow after finding minor cracks during the inspection.
“Initially, we tagged Toledo building in yellow code, meaning there is a specific area that was cordoned and needs to be corrected,” she said.
However, the structural engineers observed major structural cracks on the
beams and slabs of the building during the follow-up inspection on Jan. 17.
“After the inspection of OCBO, the Toledo building must then be vacated immediately as these major damage may worsen and can be dangerous to occupants,” she added.
Catubig also explained that some buildings with cracks may show major damages a few months after the occurrence of a major earthquake. “We saw major damage in its major components, that’s why it is also so dangerous on the part of the occupants,” she said.
On Friday, January 17, OCBO issued a notice to vacate addressed to Magallanes Residences, mandating them to vacate Toledo Building after major structural damages were noticed. The inspection was done two days after the 6.9 magnitude 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.
The OCBO said the order is based on Presidential Decree No. 1096, otherwise known as 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.”
