2 minute read

Sotto unveils plan for new Pasig City Hall complex

Next Article
The Mute Speaks

The Mute Speaks

CITY -- Mayor Vico Sotto led the 450th founding anniversary of Pasig City on July 2 highlighted with unveiling of the design of a proposed new city hall complex to be built in the next two years.

Sotto said the city should reconstruct the city hall after architects and engineers found that 62 columns and 451 beams in the present Pasig City Hall are “structurally inadequate.”

The eningeers’ report also revealed that the building’s foundation is liquefiable, which means that settlement or the sinking of the structure’s base would like- ly occur, especially during strong earthquakes.

“Ibig sabihin, may imminent danger,” the mayor said as ABS-CBN reported.

In a video, Sotto showed the Pasig City Hall Campus’ conceptual design features — open and green spaces for citizens, evacuation and senior citizen halls, earthquake-proof buildings, a fountain, and food stalls, among many others.

“This may be the biggest project in the history of Pasig City. So I need your help and support,” Sotto said during the celebration.

“Safe naman siya sabi ng mga engineer pero araw-araw lumalala ‘yung sinasabing imminent danger,” he said.

Among these threats to safety was water found trapped between beams, Sotto said.

“January 2019, biglang may sumabog sa city hall sa gitna ng 7th at 8th floor tapos yung mga nasa 8th floor may naramdaman silang jolt,” he said.

“Yung gitna ng building C at D, hindi siya pantay,” he added.

The city government first considered to commission a retrofitting of the building, but structural experts said that it would be “very expensive,” the Mayor said.

“It is not a wise idea to retrofit,” he said.

While the City Hall building is expected to be completed in the next 2 years, the rest of the complex — including the Pasig Mega Market — “will be a 10-year masterplan,” Sotto said, dubbing the construction as “the biggest project in the history of Pasig City.”

Aside from offices, the new Pasig City Hall complex will house evacuation centers, citizens’ centers, and open spaces for the public, Sotto said.

MWSS raises possibility of water interruptions as Angat dam water level almost critical

QUEZON CITY– The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) raised the possibility of water interruptions in Metro Manila that will affect over 632,000 households amid the declining water level of Angat Dam.

MWSS division manager Patrick Dizon said an inter-agency technical group meeting for the Angat Dam operation management will be held since the water level of the dam is nearing critical level, dropping to 181.83 meters as of July 4 and nearing the 180-meter minimum operating level.

Dizon said the worst-case scenario is that the customers of west zone water concessionaire Maynilad might experience off-peak interruptions of around 6 to 10 hours if the water elevation in the reservoir does not improve due to rainfall shortage.

Dizon, however, noted that there will be no water interruption from Manila Water, which provides water services to the eastern side of Metro Manila.

Dizon said the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) implemented a two-cubic meters per second (CMS) cut in the water allocation for Maynilad and Manila Water in preparation for El Niño.

According to NWRB, the 50 cm allocation comes as a concerted effort to minimize water interruptions while MWSS continues its raw water recovery from its pipeline and conveyance system repairs.

This article is from: