By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
PASIG CITY — Congressional candidate Atty. Christian “Ian” Sia has questioned the demolition of the old Pasig City Hall building.
In an interview, Atty. Sia said that before a building is demolished an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) must first be secured from the DENR, but the City Government has yet to release a document to prove such an ECC has been approved by the DENR.
Atty. Ian Sia added that the National Building Code of the Philippines provides that a structure is good for a life span of 50 years before it becomes subject to demolition.
He stressed that no structural engineer has certified into the structural integrity of the old Pasig City Hall building whether or not it is still structurally sound as some cracks were noticeable in the edifice.
Atty. Sia pointed out that every Pasigueno has the right to know where their money go.
It can be noted that the City Government has allocated the amount of PhP250 million for the demolition of the old Pasig City Hall building but the demolition contractors can offer the amount of PHP10 million to the City Government for the free demolition of the old city hall building and they will just take the debris and scrap materials.
The old Pasig City Hall building will be replaced by a new P9.6-billion City Hall Complex which is expected to be completed in a period of six years.
The city has an average annual executive budget of PhP17.2 billion for the last three years. ###
