Pasay exec wants gutted mall demolished soon

A concerned official of the Pasay City government has been urging the owners of the gutted Galleria Baclaran Mall to have the building demolished as soon as possible.

Four months since fire destroyed the mall, City Engineer Edwin Javaluyas pointed out that the remaining structures there pose a danger to nearby residents and passersby.

He said his office already sent the Transnational Construction Corp. a letter directing them to tear down the mall. Mall manager Racquel Cruz initially submitted to the City Engineer’s Office a letter requesting the city government to condemn the building.

“In the letter, we indicated for the operator not to allow tenants to come back and occupy the building. Right now, there is no need to worry because not one vendor has returned at the site to do business,” Javaluyas said adding that they have been continuously monitoring the area.

Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad said a team from the City Engineer’s Office would have to check on the demolition activity once it is undertaken by a group that would be sent by the mall owner.

The blaze reportedly started at one of the stalls on the second floor of the mall. Investigators pointed to a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit as the cause of the fire. – Rhodina Villanueva