MANOLITO Patawaran, who has a titled lot at the City Camp Lagoon area, is crying foul over what he feels is a singling out of his seven-story apartment building when village chief Carlos Ananayo reported irregularities in the ongoing construction.
Patawaran said his neighbors in the area are also building high rise structures without permits but are not being called out.
The rift between Patawaran and the village chief turned into a citywide concern as councilors Faustino Olowan and Joel Alangsab both asked for an ocular inspection of the entire lagoon area identified as a geo-hazard zone and is known to flood during the rainy season.
Facing the local council with Patawaran and Ananayo were representatives from the City Buildings and Architecture Office [CBAO] and City Planning and Development Office.
Ananayo alleges the reporting of Patawaran’s construction is due to the danger the high rise structure is posing in the area, which might collapse on neighboring homes, including his.
The village chief said the complaint stemmed when the original three-story building plan was not followed and saw the additional floors being added by Patawaran.
The concern has reached the CBAO which has served Patawaran a show cause order to explain alterations done in the original design of the house which includes parking slots, an elevator shaft, relocation of fire exits and fire protection materials.
CBAO stated Patawaran’s building passed structural engineer’s inspections as seen in submitted plans to the office.
CBAO head Nazita Bañez said when structural plans are submitted to their office signed and notarized, it is unethical to questions its validity, making the office assume all has been checked and verified.
Vice Mayor Edison Bilog countered the integrity of the building is a responsibility of the CBAO as well as the city and reminded of a preventive measures to avoid accidents waiting to happen while Councilor Leandro Yangot affirmed there are at least six structures in the area which have no permits but have not been called out.
The Patawaran case has resulted to an inspection scheduled on July 24 by members of the city council.
Previously, Lagoon residents Susan Reynoso Joaquin, Fely Ocampo and Nora Torres went to the City Council to seek the help of the body over irregularities in their owned lots.
The residents said they were the original allocatees set for the lots in the area, however, when they checked, lots allocated to them have already been titled.
The group went to the City Council to seek guidance on the land mess they are facing and the concern was assigned to the Councilor Ed Avila who chairs the committee on lands.
There were 141 structures were identified by the CBAO illegally built within the three-hectare area of the Lagoon area covering four barangays, reserved by the City Government for city needs.
