Opinion: Government Agencies Useless? (Part I)
STILL ON AGUILA GLASSCOM. The Office of the Building Official (OBO) in his
response to Mrs. Stella Cadagat and journalist (myself), when they complained
It only made an effort to divert the issue saying they already issued notices of violations to the owner and the contractor. They were not remiss in their responsibility, said the OBO chief, because they have already informed the owner and contractor Lloyd Uy about their violations and that was that. He should have made a stronger action especially to disallow the opening of Aguila Glasscom and to accommodate customers. Just a distance away, a pension house, made the same violations and the OBO has not also done anything. As long as they have committed the violations, we will talk and write about it. We also suggested in an interview by colleagues that the city government might as well do away with the rule, in fact, a national law, regarding the three meters setback and allow all buildings to be constructed on the edge of sidewalks.
After all, this is already a city government of corruption, of transactions and "commissions". We will now then turn blind to all that is happening here. Even when whistleblowers have presented enough proofs that, indeed, as Romy Niere said, the chief executive of the city, is the most corrupt and the richest in the whole country, it is better to be a city of dead, dumb and blind people.
OBO’s HECHANOVA USELESS GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT? If building owners and contractors do not comply with the law, the shadow boxing of Hechanova is quite palpable, lamely making all sorts of excuses and even blaming complainants to the extent of tolerating the national building code violators for some reasons. Why not slap these violators with the most stringent sanctions? The OBO chief has also blamed the CPDO and the DPWH for allowing the construction.
If we remember right, former DPWH head Engr. Melgar was saying the construction of posts and buildings should be done properly as the building code stipulates. Now that Melgar is no longer here and transferred to Iloilo Regional Office, that effort is no longer being done.
OBO Chief Hechanova makes all kinds of alibis in order to wash his hands off responsibility for the legal compliance with this national building code provision. He is mistaken because as long as this grievous mistake is not corrected, we will always touch on this.
COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY. The Chief Executive of the city, the chief of the DPWH and the mayor’s office that wields power over the CPDO must always assume command responsibility for these violations whenever these take place.
But what we have noticed is that, OBO Chief Ephraim Hechanova has concocted all kinds of alibis in a move not to answer the queries I and Mrs. Stella Cadagat have propounded to the OBO.
The proper construction of buildings in Bacolod City could benefit the people immensely as their movements would be more than easily facilitated. This is also a law which must be followed. It would be the government which would be harming the people’s interests if abiding with a national law is not strictly followed.
Tell you me. But, indeed!*
