Barely two months after the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) moved into its new legislative building, water leaks and ceiling damage have already surfaced, raising serious questions about the quality of the ₱246.89-million project.
Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda has called for accountability, describing the situation as both unacceptable and alarming.
The problem came to light on August 28 when portions of the ceiling collapsed on the sixth floor, soaking official documents stored in the SP’s records division.
Baronda said the incident undermines the building’s very purpose: to house lawmakers and safeguard vital public records.
“This building was meant to protect our city’s documents and serve our legislators. Yet not even two months after we moved in, we’re already dealing with leaks and substandard materials,” she said.
“Who should be held accountable?” Baronda asked.
The construction, which began in October 2021, was financed through P246.89 million drawn from the city’s general fund in 2017 and 2019.
The building, with a total floor area of 4,320 square meters, was designed to include SP offices, the SP secretariat, conference rooms, a session hall, and an auditorium seating over 250 people.
Despite the investment, Baronda revealed that leaks had already been reported on the 7th, 6th, and 5th floors even before the most recent damage.
She said the repeated issues point to poor construction practices and possible use of inferior materials.
“We have asked the contractor several times to replace defective ceiling panels. But now, after only two months, we are facing bigger problems. Clearly, accountability must be established,” the vice mayor stressed.
A report from City Engineer’s Office Safety Officer Leonard Polgo traced the flooding to the 7th floor conference room.
According to him, a flexible hose connected to a reducer burst due to excessive water pressure, causing uncontrolled flooding that spread down to the server room and other lower floors.
“The rupture of the flexible hose at the reducer pipe caused the water to flow uncontrollably,” Polgo stated in his findings.
Meanwhile, the Facility Conservation Office advised all offices in the building to ensure faucets and air-conditioning units are properly shut off before leaving, citing repeated instances of carelessness that could worsen risks.
Baronda emphasized that the matter goes beyond the SP secretariat and affects all offices inside the legislative building.
She urged a full review of the project’s materials, construction quality, and oversight process.
“There are leaks, there are substandard materials, and these issues appeared in less than two months. Iloilo City taxpayers deserve to know where their money went and why this happened,” Baronda said.IMT
