‘Reports misleading on Bakakeng hall/ Covid-19

City Hall Beat

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY --  City Building Official architect Johnny Degay has dismissed as misleading circulating reports and posts on the alleged poor workmanship of the newly built barangay multi-purpose building at Bakakeng Central, the upgraded barangay hall that serves as model for similar projects in the city.
    Degay said contrary to posts which made it appear that there was a massive damage in the structure, there was no defect in the building.  The damage on the wooden floor of the basketball court was only due to water that accumulated from an undetected leak from the roof deck.
    "The leak was minor but since it was not detected right away, water seeped through the and caused the wood planks to expand,"  Degay said.
    He said the photos shown were taken when the workmen were doing corrective measures which necessitated dismantling of tiles at the roofdeck to trace and plug the source of the leak and the wood planks to determine the extent of water seepage and replace those damaged.
    The repair will be at no cost to the city since it is covered by the warranty period.
    Degay assured that the project is in accordance with the engineering standards.
    The contractor was able to follow the project specifications especially since the CBAO implemented strict monitoring of the project in compliance with Mayor Benjamin Magalong's thrust to ensure quality project output and eliminate corruption or "lagay system"  in the implementation of projects in the city.
    He said the leak came to their attention fro the report of the punong barangay .
    "It was not immediately determined that water had seeped from the roofdeck and slowly accumulated for days on the floor," Degay said.

He said they immediately called the attention of the contractor who contacted the specialty contractor who undertook the floor works.  Dismantling and replacement works already started last week.
    Degay denounced the posted misleading information on the matter without first determining the cause,
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As the national government announces plan to liberalize the use of face masks,  Mayor Magalong and City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo called on residents to remain vigilant in safeguarding their health and safety in face of the lingering presence of the Covid-19 virus.
    "Our health and safety against Covid-19 now lies largely on our hands as it is now up to us to discern whether or not we need to wear masks outdoors and later even indoor," the two officials said.
    The two officials said they trust that despite the eased up requirement, the public will continue to observe all the necessary health protocols like the proper washing of hands, avoiding crowded places, maintaining proper ventilation and even still choosing to wear masks for the elderly and immunocompromised and when in crowded and enclosed spaces.
    "Also make sure that your vaccination is updated which is your best protection against severe illness and death," they said.
    Latest Covid-19 statistics showed increasing positivity rate in the city in the last three weeks.
    "Weekly infection growth is more than 1, indicating an ongoing transmission although this has to be sustained to say that there is indeed an increasing trend," Dr. Galpo said.
    She said hospital utilization rate has increased in the last 2 weeks from 9.5% to 12.9% as of Oct. 24, 2022 although this is still low compared to the 50% threshold level while isolation facility admission has actually slightly decreased from 6.74% 2weeks ago to 6% as of Oct 26, 2022.
    "These data have not yet been sustained to conclude that there is a continuous transmission of Covid in the city. We will have to observe in the coming days if the trend will continue," Galpo said.