The Cebu City Hall. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Office of the Building Official (OBO) in Cebu City has identified over 500 construction projects here that violated the National Building Code of the Philippines.
Architect Florante Catalan, OBO’s head, said that 580 construction projects were found to lack a building permit.
In addition, OBO also identified 425 projects that were issued with a notice of violation for the lack of an occupancy permit and the failure to adopt safety measures during the construction phase.
READ: Cebu City OBO issues violation notices to highland establishments
The violations were discovered during inspections that they made from January to August this year.
Catalan said the inspections were done to ensure the safety and security of construction projects here.
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“Kaning naay mga violations kay uban ani naa nay building permit but wala sila ni follow. Nagpuyo na sila unya wala silay occupancy permit, that’s one of violation. If mag construct na kay wala silay proper safety measures, so daghan klase nga violation ang gipatuman sa OBO,” Catalan said.
Penalty
Violators risk the payment of fines ranging from P5,000 to P10,000, Catalan said.
READ: CPA: Alleged construction violations are baseless
After a notice is issued, violators have fives days to comply with the requirements for the issuance of the needed permits.
Failure to heed the notice within the prescribed period will give OBO the discretion to refer the matter to the City Legal Office for appropriate legal action.
“Ato na sila filan og kaso ang dili mo secure og building permit. Dili [na] sila makapadayon sa ilang trabaho,” Catalan said.
Catalan said that works will also be suspended at the construction site and will only be allowed to resume after the required permits are issued.
“For those constructing structures and buildings, before you start, hire an architect or a civil engineer to create the plans. It is important to plan everything properly. Prior to construction, secure the building permit from our office first,” Catalan said.
He said that there was no reason for the property owners not to secure a building permit after his office made the application process faster and more efficient.
“You can apply online or you can also walk in. In less than an hour, you will know the status of your building permit, whether it is approved or disapproved. So, there is no reason not to obtain a building permit,” he added.