Summary
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro requested an urgent Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 safety assessment for an unused ₱12-million CTU-Asturias school building situated near a fault line and cliff.
Engineering officials and contractor Henry Menchavez admitted they cannot guarantee the building’s safety due to limited space that forced construction just two meters from the cliffside.
NEARLY 300 college students in Asturias, Cebu are still waiting for a safe place to study.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro is asking government experts for an urgent safety evaluation of a newly built, ₱12-million school building that remains completely empty. Officials fear the site may be unsafe due to landslide hazards and nearby fault line activity.
The three-story, six-classroom facility located in Barangay Langub was finished in November 2025 to support the Cebu Technological University (CTU) Asturias Agribusiness program. However, no classes have been held inside since its completion.
In an Aug. 17, 2026 letter to Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 OIC-Regional Director Al Emil Berador, Governor Baricuatro requested an official update on a site evaluation first requested by Asturias Mayor Dana Andrew Dumdum in September 2025.
"We understand the urgency of the matter, as the existing CTU campus in Asturias is already full and accommodating more students than its current capacity," Governor Baricuatro stated in her letter.
The major concern involves the site's location near an active fault line and an adjacent cliff where rocks have already begun to fall.
During a recent meeting between local leaders, CTU officials, the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), and contractor FGH Construction, both the PEO and contractor owner Henry Menchavez admitted they could not guarantee the building's safety. Menchavez explained that limited space forced workers to build close to the cliffside, adding only a two-meter setback.
Capitol Agriculture Consultant Grecilda Sanchez noted during a "Serbisyo Caravan" in Pinamungajan that the PEO is currently evaluating measures to address the site's hazards.
While the P12-million facility sits empty, nearly 300 CTU-Asturias Agribusiness students are taking classes in a local evacuation center.
CTU-Asturias representative Angel Matin-ao appealed for immediate assistance, sharing that the temporary learning space can no longer properly fit the growing student body as they wait for a safe, permanent campus.
Governor Baricuatro emphasized that MGB 7's final assessment is critical. The official safety report will determine whether the current building can be safely modified or if provincial and municipal leaders must relocate the campus to a safer alternative location.
