DPWH renews appeal for 2,000 families to leave condemned tenement

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday reiterated its appeal to some 2,000 families living in a tenement in Tondo, Manila to vacate the building after it has been condemned for the last five years.

DPWH-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Reynaldo Tagudando, who visited the Vitas Tenement Housing, said the National Housing Authority (NHA) built the building in 1965, and in 2006 or 2007, the DPWH already condemned it for its weak structure. “We told them that it was not safe,” Tagudando said.

He added that one of the tenants in the area who talked to them, said they did not leave because there was no relocation site for them.

The tenant, who asked not to be identified, told the DPWH official that there has been an offer from government for them to be relocated in Bulacan, but until yesterday this has not materialized.

Aside from the tenement, the DPWH inspection team also checked the National Museum, a place often visited by school children during field trips as one of the prominent artworks on display there is Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium.”

Tagudando said the museum has cracks, but the DPWH is still checking the building’s stability. “The National Museum undergoes regular inspection,” he said.

He believed that the museum, built before the World War I, was designed to be structurally sound and if an earthquake higher than magnitude 7 would hit it, it might incur damages but would not collapse.

DPWH officials said they are also addressing concerns on nine bridges in Metro Manila that require major repairs or retrofitting. These include the Nagtahan or Mabini Bridge, Ayala Bridge, Osmeña Bridge and Jesus Bridge.

“The Ayala Bridge would be inspected further by our task force because this is one of the oldest bridges. I think this is a pre-war bridge and it has a historical value,” Tagudando said.

One of the notable defects they noted were the ones caused by barges that slam against the structure. He said they would coordinate with the proper agency in charge of the barges.