Contractor charged today

MANILA, Philippines –  The Makati City police is scheduled to file today a complaint of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide against a contractor of a condominium building where 10 construction workers fell to the their deaths after a gondola they were riding collapsed.

An investigator from the Makati City police’s criminal investigation division said the charges will be filed before the city prosecutor’s office against Arlo Aluminum Co. after the results of an investigation showed the firm had supervision over the ill-fated workers and the overloaded gondola at the Eton Residences construction project.

According to the investigator, the charges to be filed may still be amended later if additional evidence or testimonies from witnesses will surface.

According to Makati City Hall spokesman Joey Salgado, the city Department for Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) said that as far as the safety aspect of the construction project is concerned, CE Construction – the project’s general contractor – is being held liable as it was the one responsible for securing the permits and is the one in charge of complying with the safety regulations.

However, the possible liabilities of the project’s sub-contractors, Arlo Aluminum and EM Piñon, are still being looked into by the DEPW, Salgado said.

The DEPW earlier said Aluminum, the project’s sub-contractor, installed eight gondolas without securing a permit from the Makati City Hall. The DEPW said its last inspection of the Eton Residence worksite was on Oct. 28, 2010 and the gondolas were installed after that inspection.

The gondola that figured in the accident, according to the Makati City engineer’s office, had a rated load of 630 kilos with a maximum capacity of two persons. At the time of the accident, however, the gondola had 11 passengers.

The city engineer’s office said since the last inspection, no preventive maintenance record was presented for all temporary mechanical equipment.

The city engineer’s office found that the worksite violated the Building Code’s Rule III, Section 301.2 (on securing ancillary permits for mechanical loads) and Rule II, Section 215.4 (inadequately maintained mechanical equipment).