P2.5M needed to repair Fuente Osmeña fountain

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) needs P2.5 million to repair the cracks on the Fuente Osmeña fountain and the Cebu Heritage Monument in barangay Parian which they say may pose threats to public safety.

The Cebu City Council endorsed the matter to the Committee on Budget and Finance chaired by Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña to find out where to get the budget for it.

Librado Macaraya Jr., chairman of the Cebu City Parks and Playground Commission, informed the Cebu City Council about the cracks that he observed on the base of both structures. He believes the cracks have affected the structural integrity of the century-old fountain and the heritage monument.

DEPW structural consultant Ariel dela Cruz said that during his inspection, he found out that the upper stem of the fountain showed signs of diagonal shear cracks.

“It is expected considering the structure’s age with which it has considerably reached its peak,” Dela Cruz said.

To repair the fountain’s stem, Dela Cruz said it needs steel plates that will be used as jacket to the stem. Jacketing refers to encasing the stem portion with fabricated steel molded into the exact shape of the stem.

But prior to encasing the stem, Dela Cruz suggested that it would be best to first inject structural epoxy on the cracked portion and also apply bonding epoxy for the stem surface.

Dela Cruz said another option is to destroy the stem and build a new one, but he said it will take time and is much more costly.

When he inspected the Cebu Heritage Monument in barangay Parian, Dela Cruz also found several cracks on the walls but it did not involve the structural stability of the monuments because these are mostly for sculpturing and aesthetics purposes.

He suggested that there should be an annual preventive maintenance of the monument since exposure to heavy rainfall and varied weather conditions might cause it to crack.  (FREEMAN)