CEBU CITY–A laborer died when a metal pipe fell on him at a construction site in Barangay Zapatera here on Tuesday morning, June 10.
Laborer killed by falling pipe in construction site
Published Jun 12, 2025 12:46 pm
THE damaged hard hat that a laborer wore when a metal pipe fell on him in a construction site in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City. (Contributed photo)
Police identified the fatality as Julito Bacus Gerada Jr., 26, a resident of Barangay Biga, Toledo City.
Gerada was one of the laborers working at two condominium towers in Zapatera.
Investigation by the Parian Police Station showed that the victim was on the eighth floor doing plastering works when a galvanized iron (GI) pipe from the 22nd floor fell on his head.
Gerada was wearing a hard hat at the time. The hard hat cracked because of the impact, police said. The victim was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival.
Because of the incident, the Office of the Building Official (OBO) on Wednesday, June 11, ordered the suspension of construction works at Towers B and D of the multi-tower complex.
City Building Official Architect Florante Catalan said initial findings by OBO’s on-site inspection team showed that the pipe that struck Gerada was part of a temporary safety setup used to secure work areas per floor.
The pipe may have fallen during its removal on the upper levels, said Catalan.
Catalan said because the metal pipe fell from the 22nd floor, the impact was so strong that it caused the victim’s hard hat to crack.
Blood stains were found on the victim’s hard hat.
Violations were also discovered during the inspection, Catalan said.
It was learned that the site’s gondola and tower crane had expired permits, an offense that may lead to imposition of penalties against the project’s developers or contractors.
Catalan pointed out installation and operation of mechanical equipment like cranes and gondolas require valid permits.
“There are two permits needed. Permit to install and permit to operate. If they don’t have that, the maximum penalty is P10,000,” Catalan said.
The OBO has given the contractor and developer five working days to submit an incident report, proposed safety improvements, and a justification to lift the suspension.