BAGUIO CITY – the City government, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and highways during a special meeting here agreed to put on hold the bidding for the construction of the Country Club School and conduct first a joint soil evaluation in the area.
The bidding for the school building was set December 10 however, Mayor Mauricio Domogan reiterated his stand to first conduct a joint soil evaluation before any construction can be undertaken.
“It is best that you postpone the bidding of the project, we should conduct a joint soil evaluation first before you proceed with the bidding but if you insists, keep me out of it, I won’t agree,’ he said.
It can be recalled that the City government identified a 8,500 square meter lot in Country Club Village as site for a new school to accommodate school children in area with an initial fund of P2 million for its construction.
The basketball court area was however recommended by BCDA and John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) for the construction of the school stating the proposed site identified by the city was landslide-prone as per a certification from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
Domogan raised two questions as far as the identified school site was concerned which can only be answered by conducting a joint evaluation on the area.
This include assessing if the entire 8,500 square meter area is slide prone and the possibility of introducing engineering interventions to make the area safe.
Domogan said, “his inquiry regarding these concerns were not answered by the report coming from the MGB.
Presently, temporary classrooms were built to house the displaced school children at the covered court in the barangay agreed upon by the city government, deped and barangay officials including JHMC head Jaime Agbayani.
Domogan reiterated, “the utmost priority should be the education of the children which should not be compromised.”
Domogan insists the joint soil evaluation will once and for all answer if the whole or only a portion of the identified site is slide-prone.
Domogan clarified,”the slight delay in the bidding is not intentional but just to make sure that the school building is constructed at the right place including future expansions.”
The joint soil evaluation will be conducted immediately./Paul Rillorta
