Retaining wall design under DEPW study

CEBU, Philippines - Personnel of the Department of Engineering and Public Works are presently evaluating whether or not the new submitted design for a retaining wall of the Casa del Rio Subdivision in Barangay Talamban complies with the proper guidelines.

Engineer Pascual Gimenez of the Office of the Building Official inspected the collapsed riprap of the subdivision in Sitio Cadaohan, Talamban, where two persons were killed and six others hurt two weeks ago.

Ylanan confirmed that the officials of Commonwealth Estates Development Inc. were able to present photographs of the collapsed riprap which showed that the riprap’s “weep holes” were covered by people living beside the creek.

Weep holes are holes in the exterior walls of a structure that allow water to vent to the outside, ensuring that it cannot accumulate behind the walls. Weep holes also permit air circulation, which makes the area inside the walls hostile to mold that can damage structural elements of a building.

Without weep holes, the riprap or the retaining wall might collapse because the water that creeps in through the cracks will be trapped in the walls and weaken the foundation.

Jonji Gonzales, spokesman of the Commonwealth Estates Development Inc., believes the collapse of the riprap was triggered when the residents living behind the riprap covered the weep holes, others even installed tiles behind the holes.

“Mao gayud na ang problema kay ang mga tawo wala makasabot kon unsay kagamitan sa maong mga lungag,” OBO chief Josefa Ylanan said.

Ylanan said the developer of Casa del Rio Subdivision still cannot construct a retaining wall where the riprap collapsed before the issuance of the construction permit.

She explained that once the DEPW technical personnel will confirm that the designs of the proposed retaining walls that will be constructed has complied with the guidelines, this will be the time that the developer will be required to secure the requirements for construction permit.

Ylanan also said that OBO is not the appropriate office to conduct a soil evaluation as what the Cebu City Council has requested in order to prevent a repeat of the collapse in the future. –(FREEMAN)