BAGUIO City, Philippines – The city government in this city has asked the owners and operators of at least 15 boarding homes to fix infractions of some safety laws discovered by an inspection team.
On the sidelines of Monday’s flag raising event, Aileen Refuerzo, chief city communications officer, stated that the joint inspection team led by Engr. According to Charles Carame, chief of the Health Service Office’s sanitation division, numerous of the offenses endanger the inhabitants’ safety.
“Most of the boarding homes assessed on September 11 had safety and sanitary problems,” she claimed.
There was a lack of solid waste management or separate trash bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes, as well as dilapidated facilities, dirty surroundings, a lack of vermin control, and confined areas.
Non-operational sanitary and plumbing fixtures; improper drainage system; dilapidated roof gutter with a source of leaks; no installed CCTV (closed circuit television) and emergency light, non-functional electrical fixtures; dangling electrical wires, busted lighting fixtures; unsafe electrical wirings; and visible cracks on beams and columns were also discovered.
“The 15 boarding houses in New Lucban, Teodora Alonzo, and ABCR (A. Bonifacio, Caguioa, Rimando) had business permits,” Refuerzo added, “but one did not have a fire safety certificate.”
The three districts mentioned are close to major universities and colleges, including Saint Louis University’s main campus, Baguio Central University, and STI College, making them popular student housing options.
According to Refuerzo, the inspection team also discovered that majority of the dormitories and boarding houses lack tenant parking and that their fire alarms are inoperable.
She stated that the team has decided to continue doing surprise inspections in other barangays in order to ensure that the infractions of the 15 establishments are corrected.
“As agreed upon by task force members, the inspection would be made a regular exercise, particularly with students returning to Baguio for face-to-face classes,” Refuerzo added.
According to the Permits and Licensing Division’s records, the city has 31 dormitories, 21 lodging houses, 1,773 boarding houses, 1,398 apartments, and 543 transitory dwellings on its roster of allowed enterprises.
Source: PNA
