STRUCTURAL inspection of the Iloilo Provincial Capitol (left) and Iloilo City Hall. (Photos from Iloilo Capitol PIO/Iloilo City Hall PIO)
ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo Provincial Capitol and Iloilo City Hall were found to be safe following the late Tuesday evening 6.9-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Cebu province and felt in most of the Visayas.
The Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Iloilo Provincial Engineers Office (PEO) found both the Capitol and the Casa Real de Iloilo (old Iloilo Provincial Capitol) to be structurally sound after an inspection.
The Office of the Building Official (OBO), Office of the City Engineer, and Facility Conservation Office also found the Iloilo City Hall and its annex buildings structurally sound in a separate inspection.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. and Mayor Raisa Treñas issued orders to resume work on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Iloilo PDRRMO chief Cornelio Salinas said the PEO found cracks in some parts of the Capitol building.
All work at the Iloilo Hall of Justice was suspended on Wednesday as personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have yet to finish inspection.
The Iloilo Hall of Justice was temporarily vacated in 2012 for retrofitting following damage from a February 2012 earthquake.
No major damage was reported in Iloilo City and Iloilo towns.