DAVAO CITY(MindaNews/13 October) – The Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) has issued red-tag notices to four building owners and yellow-tag notices to four others, following the powerful twin earthquakes that struck Davao Region on October 10.

During the Ispeak Media Forum held on Monday, OCBO officer-in-charge Architect Khashayar L. Toghyani said that buildings under a red-tag notice are not safe for occupancy, while those under a yellow-tag notice may be permitted limited use, subject to approval from his office.

He said the buildings were tagged based on initial findings from rapid visual inspections conducted in coordination with the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers-Davao City (PICE-Davao) Chapter, shortly after the earthquakes.

Of the 50 buildings on their master list, Toghyani said they have inspected a total of 13 so far and aim to complete the remaining inspections within this week.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, at 9:43 a.m. on October 10, with tremors felt across several parts of Mindanao and the Visayas. Approximately nine hours later, at 7:12 p.m., a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 occurred in the same area.

According to him, the buildings placed under red-tag notices are the administrative and school buildings of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapua MCM) along General Douglas MacArthur Highway; The Velvet Suites and Hotel of Oroderm City on C.M. Recto Street (formerly Claveria Street); the Toledo Building of Magallanes Residence on Bolton Street; and the office space occupied by Teleperformance Davao at the SM City-Annex in Ecoland.

Buildings under yellow-tag notices or under restricted use are buildings A, B, and C of Felcris Centrale in Barangay 40-D, along Quimpo Boulevard; the parking building of Gaisano Mall along J.P. Laurel Avenue; Vivaldi Residences along Ramon Magsaysay Avenue; and Mesatierra Garden Residences along Ignacio Villamor Street, along J.P. Laurel Avenue.

Toghyani explained that a red tag indicates that occupancy of the building is strictly prohibited as the results of the inspection showed that buildings sustained severe damage.

He said that comprehensive structural assessments are required, and entry or use of the premises is prohibited until all necessary repairs have been completed and cleared by his office.

In comparison to buildings under a red-tag notice, Toghani stated that a yellow tag indicates that the use of the building is restricted as inspectors have noted moderate structural or non-structural damage requiring repairs before full re-occupancy.

He said that certain areas may remain accessible under controlled conditions, subject to the approval of the OCBO.

He also warned establishments in the city, including business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, to grant inspectors access to their buildings after Teleperformance allegedly barred engineers from entering their office to conduct an inspection last Saturday.

Building owners must carry out necessary repairs and adhere to the recommendations of the local government’s structural engineers before they will be permitted to fully reopen, he said.

“It is the job of OCBO and PICE-Davao to inspect, and if there are findings, we inform the owner of the building that the building is not fit for occupancy at the moment. And what the owner should do is to follow the order. If not fit for occupancy, they should stop occupancy for the meantime, have engineers assess those buildings, and based on the findings of the engineers, they should come up with repair methodologies,” he said.

Before undertaking repairs, building owners must secure a permit from the local government and ensure that the recommendations of the structural engineers are fully integrated into their repair methodologies, according to Toghani.

No on-site classes

Meanwhile, the building official added that on-site classes at the Mapúa MCM campus will not be permitted unless corrective measures are undertaken to reinforce the foundation of their buildings.

He said debris from the affected buildings might endanger the students.

In a statement released on Sunday, Mapua MCM said inspection of the campus buildings “revealed that the buildings’ overall structural integrity remains intact.”

“Although some non-structural damages were observed, these were limited to aesthetic or architectural components that will require minor interior repairs, which will be implemented as soon as possible. The endorsed structural integrity of building certification will be promptly submitted to the Davao LGU (local government unit),” he said.

According to the school management, appropriate improvements are being thoroughly discussed with structural engineers to ensure the durability and integrity of affected areas.

“Your safety is our priority, and we hear and understand the concerns from our entire community and will take swift action and responsibility to ensure that necessary enhancements will be made,” the school said. 

Legal actions

Toghyani also warned Davao Rogienald Corporation, the property developer of the Oroderm City, to comply with the notice or face legal consequences.

He added that the management allegedly removed the caution tapes placed at the building following the earthquake.

“When we went there for inspection, we already put caution tape and issued a restriction on occupancy. But we received reports today that they removed the caution tape, and events were held, and that they were back to regular programming. That is a violation, and we won’t tolerate those kinds of violations, and we will see to it that we will take whatever legal actions we can,” he said.

The official noted that Velvet Suites and Hotel was already operating despite its occupancy permit application still pending approval.

Dr. Neil Oropeza, president of Davao Rogienald Corporation, told reporters in an interview that no events were held at their hotel, following the earthquakes last October 10.

He also denied that the management removed the caution tapes placed by the local government, claiming instead that they were concealed behind a board-up installed at the entrance of the hotel’s basement parking.

Oropeza added that the corporation is willing to undertake corrective measures and follow the recommendations of the PICE-Davao as soon as possible to fortify the five-story, 36-room Velvet Suites and Hotel, one of the four buildings within Oroderm City.

He said the hotel will remain closed until the company completes repair works.

The three commercial buildings at the Oroderm City are unaffected, and tenants continue business as usual, he said.

“We respect the decision of the city government to ensure safety. Our objective is to ensure that the place is safe,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)