Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto stressed on Saturday, Nov. 11, the need for the creation of a "Temporary City Hall" after large cracks were found on its 8th floor.
(Photo from Mayor Vico Sotto)
"This happened at the 8th floor of City Hall this morning. Walang earthquake, walang tao. Perhaps suggestive of the structural issues I discussed last time. Para lang din alam niyo kung bakit tayo nagmamadaling lumipat sa isang "Temporary City Hall" (This happened at the 8th floor of City Hall this morning. There was no earthquake and no one was here. Perhaps suggestive of the structural issues I discussed last time. This is also for everyone to be aware as to why we are in a hurry to transfer to a "Temporary City Hall")," Sotto said.
According to him, the city government is currently finalizing the contract for lease of the closest building that could be rented where there are no tenants and passes the needs of the city hall.
The said structure is located at the Pasig side of Bridgetowne- Amang Rodriguez, Brgy. Rosario in Ortigas Ave. The city government will announce if the plan is already final.
It is also creating temporary facilities for services that must remain within the poblacion area as some employees must remain at the city hall such as those at the health services sector.
Pasig City is also on track in complying with the necessary Commission on Audit (COA) requirements, including inventory, as it targets to move-out by July next year.
Sotto said that even before he was elected mayor of Pasig in 2019, multiple cracks and fissures have been seen and reported on the city hall’s walls, floors, and other areas. Complaints of leakages, uneven ground, and other similar issues within the buildings have also been made.
The mayor said they hired an independent consultant to inspect and assess the city hall infrastructure, who concluded that the four buildings making up the city hall were “not structurally sound.” It was still technically safe, but its structural integrity would worsen overtime.
The consultant’s findings indicated 62 columns and 451 girders or beams in the city hall were structurally inadequate. The seismic gaps (or space in between the buildings) were found insufficient in preventing structures from hitting each other during a strong earthquake.
The foundation of the buildings were also said to be “liquified in nature and there is a strong likelihood that uneven settlement will occur in case of a very strong earthquake event.”