ANGELES CITY-Overstressed columns and piles were the highly probable main cause of the collapse of a building under construction in barangay Balibago that killed 30 people on May 24, according to the final report of the Angeles City Fact-Finding Task Force.
City Attorney Darwin Reyes said the findings were based on technical assessments, expert opinions, project documents, site inspections and laboratory test results.
Structural models generated from documents submitted for the project showed that the size, number and material properties of the columns and piles were insufficient to carry the loads imposed on them, resulting in a progressive collapse, the report said.
‘Our findings are based on expert engineers on the subject. So nag-rely kami sa findings nila,’ Reyes said.
The task force also found that the columns had been designed to resist gravity loads only, when they should also have accounted for lateral displacement in both directions.
Construction alterations further contributed to the collapse, Reyes said. A post-collapse inspection found additional steel beams and floor framing that added weight but were not included in the original design, the report said. The task force also cited construction methods and detailing errors as contributing factors.
City Administrator Noel Luzung said the final report was delayed partly because the task force had to consolidate findings from other government agencies, including the Departments of Labor and Employment and of Public Works and Highways.
Luzung also cited the southwest monsoon and the fire in Pampang market as among the factors that affected the timing of the report.
DPWH analysis remains pending
REYES said testing conducted by the DPWH was put on hold amid a separate investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation, leaving the DPWH analysis pending.
‘Doon sa mga tests na pina-evaluate sa DPWH, na-hold iyon dahil sa simultaneous investigation made by the NBI,’ Reyes said. ‘So, hindi muna sila naglabas ng analysis report, that’s why hindi namin masabi kung may substandard materials doon sa steel na nagamit.’
Reyes said the NBI report would also be significant in evaluating the cause of the collapse. The pending DPWH analysis will supplement the task force’s technical findings, he said.
‘It will help supplement the final report but it will not alter the findings,’ Reyes said. ‘So mas pagtitibayin lang nila ang findings on technical aspects.’
Reyes also said the task force’s final report found no markings of the type investigators were looking for, although he said the matter could still be determined.
Labor, safety violations
THE Dole ordered contractor Golden Years Construction and Steelworks Corp. and the building’s owner, Ernest Jackson Lim, to pay P11.43 million in workers’ monetary claims and administrative fines over labor and occupational safety violations.
The investigation found labor standards and occupational safety and health violations.
The report cited violations involving 57 workers, including nonpayment or underpayment of wages, rest-day premiums and holiday pay, resulting in over P1.1 million in assessed monetary deficiencies.
Violations involving safety controls, permits and inspections, safety personnel and training, supervision and worker welfare facilities were also cited.
These resulted in P10.3 million in administrative fines, including penalties related to alleged misrepresentation or inauthentic safety and first-aid certificates, according to the report.
Five criminal complaints involving about eight or nine individuals have been filed, Reyes said.
Separate labor cases had also been filed by workers against Lim and Golden Years. A nearby property owner had also filed a complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property.
Assistance
LUZUNG said the city government would shoulder structural assessments for affected buildings to determine whether they should be condemned or what their status should be.
‘Merong tulong na ibinigay o ibibigay ang local government sa pag-conduct ng assessment sa building nila,’ Luzung said. ‘Sasagutin ng LGU ang assessment ng building kung i-condemn na ba or kung ano ang magiging status.’
He said affected property owners could use the fact-finding report in pursuing possible claims for damages.
‘Itong report na ito ay pwede nilang gamitin basehan if interesado silang mag-pursue ng cases for damages against the owner or sa contractor,’ Luzung said. ‘And we will provide them with documents, evidence or information na kailangan nila.’
The city government incurred expenses amounting to P9.6 million for the rescue, watch, retrieval and clearing operations following the building’s collapse, the report said.
Reyes said the city would also review building permit and construction regulations and introduce measures aimed at preventing a similar incident.