Construction worker crushed to death as wall collapses on him

Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella (in white barong) inspects the portion of retaining wall that collapsed at the construction site of the Casa Mira Towers in Labangon, crushing to death one worker. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A 22-year-old worker died after a concrete wall and steel piles fell on him while working at a construction site along Salvador Extension in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City Wednesday morning.

John Eric Llera was welding a large steel beam along the perimeter of an excavation when the wall collapsed and crushed him to death around 10:30 a.m., said PO3 Cristobal Geronimo, investigator of the Cebu City Police Office’s homicide division.

Three other workers who were near Llera when the incident happened managed to run and were saved.

Llera, a native of Barangay Canlumampao, Toledo City, was rushed by rescuers to the Cebu City Medical Center but he didn’t make it alive, said Nagiel Banacia, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO).

The contractor, Abraham Lee of the J.E. Abraham Lee Construction and Development Inc., was ordered to immediately report to the Office of the Building Official (OBO), submit an incident report, and explain what happened.

“They have to be investigated. We want to know what really happened,” said Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Soft

When he inspected the site, Labella said the soil seemed so soft and the excavation posed danger even to nearby residents.

The road located at the side of the construction site was closed to the public for security purposes.

“Dilikado kaayo nga mosamot kalusno. Basin modako ang atong problema. (There’s a danger that the soil will further erode. We want to prevent further problems),” Labella said.

The vice mayor halted all operations at the construction site pending an investigation to be conducted by OBO officials, the Department of Labor and Employment and the police.

Permits

J.E. Abraham Lee Construction and Development is undertaking the construction of Casa Mira Towers owned by AB Soberano International Corp. and Cebu Landmasters Inc., the developer of the project.

The economic residential condominium project will stand in an area of 3,681 square meters and will have two towers.

Jeralyn Lucero of Cebu City’s OBO said a demolition permit was given to Cebu Landmasters Inc. last June 1, 2016.

However, she said the firm has no building and excavation permit.

“The excavation they are currently doing is definitely illegal,” Lucero told reporters.

According to OBO chief Engr. Josefa Ylanan, the contractor of the project was only granted a demolition permit for the old building which used to stand on the project site in Barangay Labangon.

However, they found out yesterday that the contractor was already excavating at the project site without the necessary excavation permit.

“The suspension of the excavation will be automatic. But we will allow them to continue with soil protection in the area to prevent any more accidents,” Ylanan told reporters.

Fine

She said her office will coordinate with the City Legal Office to impose the fine against Cebu Landmasters Inc., the owner of the Casa Mira Towers.

Ylanan said the amount of the fine is yet to be determined since it has to be computed based on the area of the excavation.

Once this is paid, she said the owner of the building can already apply for an excavation permit or a building permit for their project.

Based on records from the OBO, Cebu Landmasters Inc., through its representative Albert Sesaldo, applied for the demolition permit of the two-story commercial building last May 3.

OBO approved it last June 1. The permit was signed by former OBO head Engr. Jose Marie Poblete.

Among the conditions stipulated in the approved permit, the demolition should be completed within 15 days from starting. They should also advise OBO of the start of the demolition at least five days before.

“The demolition shall be undertaken only after the building has been vacated and all utility lines such as electric, gas, telephone and water installations have been disconnected,” the permit read.

The demolition should also be undertaken in accordance with protection and safety requirements under the National Building Code and should be done under the direct supervision of a licensed civil engineer.

No construction

Meanwhile, the project contractor, J.E. Abraham Lee Construction and Development Inc., in a statement sent to Cebu Daily News said: “A small portion of the retaining wall purposely erected to prevent soil erosion and water intrusion . . . collapsed.

“We would like to clarify that there are no construction works being undertaken at the site,” the statement read.

“The current work being done is the tearing down the old buildings, which is duly covered by a demolition permit,” the statement added.

The contractor said the excavations on site are preliminary diggings which are part of the demolition work, and no more than one fourth of the project site has been excavated. He also said sheet piles were erected as part of soil protection.

“Both the contractor and condominium developer are deeply saddened by the untimely demise of the 22-year-old worker and are now extending all assistance possible to his family, including returning his remains to his hometown, Toledo City,” the statement read.

In a separate statement sent to CDN, Cebu Landmasters Inc., said: “Thank you all for your concern. Rest assured as the developers of Casa Mira Towers, we are doing all we can to be there for the victim and his family.”

No entry

Police investigators and city officials were denied entry to the construction site until Vice Mayor Labella arrived past 1 p.m. and pleaded through a megaphone outside the entrance gate to allow him and other officials to enter.

After 10 minutes, Labella along with the police investigators and OBO officers were allowed entry by the construction site’s security guard.

Labella later told reporters waiting outside the gate that there were no other casualties nor persons injured at the site.

He said the site engineer explained to him that they didn’t immediately allow investigators to get inside the area to ensure the safety of everyone.

“As to why they didn’t allow us to immediately enter the area will be part of the investigation that is being conducted,” Labella said.

Residents in the area said they were surprised when they heard a loud thud past 10 a.m. Wednesday.

“We shouted out of fear. Moments later, we saw a man who was carried to an ambulance. He was dead,” said a female vendor near the construction site.

Jose Wesley Cellona, a public safety officer of Barangay Labangon, said: “We stayed near the wall that collapsed and saw one of the workers being rescued.”