Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Monday, April 1, announced the near completion of the city's temporary city hall located in Amang Rodriguez, Barangay Rosario as part of the local government's redevelopment plan.
Mayor Vico Sotto
"Ito (2024) na yung taon na magsisimula ang iilan sa mga pinakamalalaking proyekto, hindi lang sa administrasyon natin ngayon, kundi sa kasaysayan ng lungsod Pasig (This year is the start of some of the city's biggest projects, not just in our administration, but in the whole history of Pasig City)," Sotto said in his address to local government employees and officials.
"On track po tayo, on schedule, pasok na pasok sa ating timeline at may buffer pa nga yung temporary city hall natin. Patapos na yung istraktura at siguro finishing nalang or may konti nalang na works na kailangan (We are on track and on schedule. We even have a buffer on the construction of our temporary city hall. The structure is nearing its completion and maybe some finishing works are left to be done)," he added.
The mayor explained that he was initially hesitant in launching the Pasig City Hall Campus Redevelopment Masterplan due to the time and money needed to turn it into a reality. However, he said, the city government found it essential due to multiple reports of structural damages in the old city hall.
"Alam nyo naman nung una, medyo hesitant ako ayokong gawin, pero nakita natin buhat ng pangangailangan, sabi natin kung gagawin nalang natin ito, magreredevelop or kailangang gumawa ng bagong building, eh gandahan na natin (You know at first I was hesitant in doing this, but we saw the need for it and said that if we will redevelop or found a reason to build a new building, then let's make it as beautiful as we can)," Sotto noted.
He explained that the Pasig City Hall Campus Redevelopment Masterplan is a long-term project and the priority will be the most important building of all—the main city hall building, which will take approximately two years to complete. However, he explained that based on experience, careful planning, and observations within the local government, he is confident that the two or two and a half years of construction will be manageable.
According to the local government unit (LGU), the construction of the temporary city hall would be completed by the end of July and would be ready for move-in by July or August. However, the timeline seems to have been moved up by a few weeks or possibly months.
Not structurally sound
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.
He 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 could 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.