Mayor clears air in Baguio City skyrise buildings controversy

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said limiting the height of skyrise buildings here, an object of controversy in this summer capital,  is not the solution in reducing casualties and damage to properties during strong earthquakes.

While there were earlier plans to limit the height of buildings to be constructed in the city to only four stories, the local chief executive said the same is not a business friendly policy, thus, the city government adopted as a policy the conduct of the needed soil tests to ascertain the carrying capacity of the area where the structure will be constructed which resulted to the existence of numerous high rise structures in the different parts of the city.

            

“Owners of high rise buildings simply need to comply with the prescribed mitigating measures aside from ensuring the overall quality of their respective structures in order to withstand the strong earthquakes that will hit our city in the future,” Domogan stressed, citing that the city government is now imposing as a requirement the conduct of the mandatory soil tests to the construction of buildings that are more than two stories to ensure the stability of the structures that will be erected.

            

According to him, the numerous studies conducted by experts on why many of the high rise structures in the city collapsed during the occurrence of the intensity 7.9 killer earthquake on July 16, 1996 show that there were defects in the construction of the buildings and the alleged violations in the building permits issued to the owners of the affected structures.

            

He said foreign experts also came to the city to study why the buildings of the St. Louis University (SLU) did not collapse during the trembler and found out that the construction method used was in accordance to what is suitable for the prevailing situation in the city.

            

Among the famous structures that collapsed at the height of the July 1990 killer earthquake were the Hyatt Terraces Hotel, Nevada Hotel, Hilltop Hotel, Baguio Park Hotel, University of Baguio accountancy building and the Royal Inn which were located at the heart of the city.

            

Earlier, the Philippine chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Baguio-Benguet Chapter, the Chamber of Real Estate Builders Association (CREBA) and local housing developers petitioned the city government to allow the construction of high rise structures provided that the area where their buildings will be located pass the required soil tests coupled with the implementation of additional mitigating measures that will be required by the city building official to guarantee the safety of the public.

            

Domogan said the local government will strictly implement the rules and regulations governing the construction of buildings, particularly the provisions of the National Building code, other allied laws and local ordinances relative thereto in order to ensure the safety of the occupants of the structures to be constructed in the different parts of the city.

            

He claimed those who plan to build high rise buildings must consult local construction experts who are aware of the situation in the city in order for them to be able to ascertain the appropriate construction method to be used to guarantee the soundness of the structure to be built.