The Office of the Building Official (OBO) in Bacolod City served a notice of violation to various public schools, both high school and elementary, for the construction of the school buildings without a building permit.
Engineer Isidro Sun Jr., head of OBO, said yesterday they started sending the notices on July 2 to the school principals.
He also talked with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) head Engineer Abraham Villareal to discuss the violation.
He said Villareal informed him that the contractors of the school building projects failed to apply for a building permit because of its non-inclusion in the contract's budget.
"We are not collecting permit fees, but they need to pay with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). There were about 12 school buildings from various schools, both high school and elementary, constructed without building permit," he added.
Sun noted they also issued a notice of the violation to the school buildings that were constructed from 2014 to 2016 that have no building permit.
The schools violated Section 301 of the National Building Code.
The order stated that no person, firm or corporation, including any agency or instrumentality of the government, shall construct alter, repair, convert, use, occupy, move, demolish and add any building/structure or any portion thereof or cause the same to be done without obtaining a building permit thereof from the OBO assigned in the place where the subject building is located or to be done.
Sun said the school principals also promised to find ways to comply with the requirements and to ensure the safety of their students.
He said that securing the building permit is free for the government agency and they will only pay the fees charged by the BFP.
Sun disclosed that if the schools failed to secure a building permit, their documents will be forwarded to the City Legal Office for an appropriate legal action.
