QC Hall of Justice repair pushed

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. urged yesterday the Department of Justice to help speed up the renovation of the local Justice Hall to ensure not only the safety of its employees, but the general public as well.

Belmonte said he brought the condition of the Justice Building to the attention of Justice Secretary Hernando Perez whom he met yesterday morning.

"We really have to see to it that everybody is safe here," said Belmonte who personally inspected the four-story building beside the Quezon City Hall shortly after his meeting with Perez.

An hour-long fire struck the Justice Building last March 24 while a number of construction workers were working overtime at the judges’ lounge on the second floor.

Documents at the offices of Regional Trial Court Judges Diosdado Peralta of Branch 95 and Lucas Bersamin of Branch 96 were damaged. The blaze also spread to portions of the third and fourth floors of the building.

Since the blaze broke out, only the plastic ceiling of the fourth floor has been replaced while traces of the fire and burned electrical wiring are still visible on the ceilings and walls of the second, third and fourth levels of the building.

One of the fire exits at the right side of the building is closed because the exit is used as stock room for documents of old cases and damaged office equipment and furniture.

During the inspection, Belmonte also met with Chief Prosecutor Claro Arellano and other prosecutors, whose offices are all located at the fourth floor of the building.

The mayor said he would help speed up the renovation of the building. – Cecille Suerte Felipe