The Angeles City Government is set to file legal action following the final report of its Fact-Finding Task Force into the collapse of a building in Barangay Balibago that claimed 30 lives.
Angeles City’s legal adviser and special legal adviser of the Task Force Atty. Darwin Reyes said with the fact-finding process completed, the LGU will pursue appropriate cases against those who may be held accountable, while stressing that any criminal or civil liability remains subject to due process and court determination.
Based on the totality of evidence and technical assessments, Atty. Reyes said the task force found that the highly probable main cause of the collapse was the overstressing of the building’s columns and piles, whose capacity was exceeded by the loads imposed on the structure. The failure of these structural members resulted in a progressive collapse.
The investigation also identified alterations and additional structural members made during construction, including steel beams and floor framing that added weight not accounted for in the original design. Construction methods and detailing errors were also cited as contributing factors.
Separate findings by the Department of Labor and Employment established labor and occupational safety violations, resulting in more than ₱11.4 million in liabilities and fines, including monetary claims involving workers and administrative penalties for OSH violations.
The city government, meanwhile, incurred ₱9.67 million for rescue, search, retrieval and clearing operations following the collapse.
The post Angeles LGU to file cases over collapsed building first appeared on Pampanga News Now.