Inspection of boarding houses urged

CEBU, Philippines — Dumaguete City Councilor Estanislao Alviola is enjoining concerned agencies of the city government to make sure that boarding houses are safe and conducive to students.

Alviola said his call is not about raising more revenues for the city coffers, but most importantly for the safety of boarders who maybe are transients, students and workers.

The councilor issued the statement to the media as classes opened on Monday for public and private schools, colleges and universities, while other private educational institutions are expected to start the school year by next week.

Alviola suggested for a mapping operations to be conducted by personnel of the City Treasurer's Office and, assisted by the Special Enforcement Unit, to advise owners of boarding houses that have operating illegally to comply with the requirements this time.

Alviola said he was told that a lot of private residences has been utilized as boarding houses, without business permits, at the pretext that the renters are their relatives. They operate without fire exits, no inspection report from the Bureau of Fire Protection, and non-compliance of the building code, he said.

This developed after a boarding house, with 15 renters, was spared from the fire that gutted down two business establishments along Locsin Street last week, with the BFP still conducting an investigation if these destroyed structures had complied with the Fire Code.

The renters of the boarding house, located behind the razed buildings, were either employees of department stores in the city, or teachers or transients.

Checking the boarding houses, located in interior places, is like shooting three birds with one stone, said Alviola. It will address their illegal operations, if ever, for these to finally pay taxes to the city; assure the safety of the boarders by requiring these to comply with the regulations; and enable the city to monitor the presence of new faces or suspicious characters in line with the city's anti-criminality campaign.

Alviola said this can be done in coordination with barangay officials, who are in the best position to determine the presence of criminal elements who could be moving from one barangay to another, while casing for their next targets.

Parents are also advised to monitor the activities of their children who are renting boarding houses in the city, while going to school, Alviola added.