DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 Feb) – The ill-fated 14-year-old NCCC Mall Davao is up for demolition after the City Building Official (CBO) approved the mall management’s application for a permit on February 20, nearly two months since the fire incident on December 23, 2017.
The fire, caused by an electrical short circuit at the ceiling on the third floor, left 38 people dead after they were trapped on the fourth floor. The 37 victims were call center agents of Survey Sampling International (SSI), while the other one was a key custodian of the mall.
It took firefighters more than a day to put out the fire.
CBO officer-in-charge Cirinia Grace L. Catubig told MindaNews on Tuesday the permit requires the mall management to complete the demolition within a period of 30 days from the starting date.
The mall applied for demolition last February 2 and paid the city a permit fee worth P187,854, she said.
However, Catubig said she has no knowledge about the schedule of the demolition because they leave it up to the mall management to decide when after being issued with a permit but they are required to inform the city government at least five days before they would start the demolition.
Catubig said they suggested that the building be demolished immediately as it might pose some risks and to prevent people from illegally barging into the building to scavenge for scraps.
The permit stated the demolition would commence only after the “building has been vacated and all utility lines such as electric, gas, telephone and water installations have been disconnected.”
It added that the demolition will be undertaken in accordance with Rule XV on “Protection and Safety Requirements for construction and demolition of building/structure” of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Presidential Decree (PD) 1096, or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
The combined floor area of the four-story building is 60,568 square meters, Catubig said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
