Repair of collapsed riprap 85% done

CEBU, Philippines — Just 13 days after starting repairs on the collapsed 15-meter section of the riprap in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 6th District Engineering Office disclosed that the contractor has now completed 85.45 percent of the restoration work.

District Public Information Officer of DPWH Cebu District 6, Engineer Daffodil Jugan, told reporters that as of November 13, ZLREJ Trading and Construction Corp. has completed 251.23 cubic meters of stone masonry work.

Additionally, they have installed 683.35 kilograms of reinforcing bars on the face wall and poured 10 cubic meters of concrete into the reinforced face wall.

Given this progress, Jugan mentioned that the project could potentially be completed by the end of this month, depending on favorable weather conditions.

“Sa pagka karon wala man silay gihatag nga timeline, but based sa ilahang accomplishment within this month mahuman natingali gyud na kay 85 percent naman sila pero kana depende if okay atong panahon naa pod baya tay upcoming nga mga bad weather ba,” said Jugan.

Personnel from ZLREJ Trading and Construction Corp. began repairing the riprap on November 1, following an assessment on October 31, 2024.

Based on the DPWH's recommendation, the contractor was advised to extend the scope of their rectification efforts. An additional 15-linear-meter section of the flood control structure needed to be repaired to ensure its overall stability.

“They have to restore at least 30-linear-meter to ensure nga ang structural stability dili na ma compromise ba. So na extend sila og gamay sa katong 15-linear meters,” said Jugan.

The 15 meters collapsed portion of the riprap is part of the P127-million flood control project in the barangay and is part of a 6,900-linear-meter flood control project along the Butuanon River.

Of the 6,900-linear-meter project, only 398-linear meters was contracted to ZLREJ Trading and Construction Corp, which includes the collapsed portion of the riprap.

Jugan said that the contractor’s portion has been completed since June 3 this year, however, it has not been turned over yet to DPWH.

She explained that the structure is still in its “defects and liability period” which lasts for a year.

“So ang contractor liable pa gyud sila nga mu-rectify kung naay mga defects,” said Jugan.

To recall, the portion of the riprap collapsed last October 29.The contractor has admitted that part of the project that collapsed didn’t have rebars, which they said was based on the plan approved by DPWH-7.

On the other hand, last November 3, Chief Technical Officer of ZLREJ, Engr. Lrej Awit, said that the collapsed portion was expected to be completed supposedly in that week.

However, Jugan said that DPWH’s recommendation to add 15-linear meters could be one of the factors of extending the duration of the repair.

“Kana naa man guy tay i-consider sad nga additional mga meters nga dapat i-rectify. Katong ilang giingon nga 1 week naextend gyud to siya depende gyud sa ilahang accomplishment didto sa site,” said Jugan.

With their newly approved plan to restore the riprap, Jugan said that this is the "most effective" solution to prevent the incident from happening again.

“Actually, ang scope of work mao raman na nga materials ang na involved no, stone masonry sa face wall niya butangan og steel (and) concrete. After na mahuman nga project, kay assured na gyud na nga stable na ang katong structure,” Jugan explained.

In a separate interview, the Chief Operating Officer of ZLREJ Construction, Atty. Rejzl Awit-Rapes said that the rain from the past few days have affected the efficiency of the repair.

Rapes added that it was not safe for their workers to work on rainy days especially that the water level from the past days was high.

“We also want to ensure the safety of our workers on site,” said Rapes.

Rapes said that they have followed the plan recommended by DPWH, particularly in extending the rectification of the riprap.

“So, the total is now around 30 meters because when that portion collapsed, we noticed nga naay mga cracks ang other areas. So, we decided together with DPWH to rectify it to ensure that the entire structure is stable,” Rapes explained.

She also disclosed that the entire repair of the riprap was done at the contractor’s own expense.

The chief technical officer of ZLREJ has previously revealed that water pressure buildup due to liquefaction from a water pipeline from a nearby company, along with constant heavy rains, contributed to the collapse.

With this, ZLREJ is redirecting the water outside the flood-control structure by placing additional pipes to let the water flow outside the structure.

“We directed the water so that iyang outfall will be outside of the structure.  Amo siya gi redirect outside of the structure para didto siya mahulog sa river itself,” Rapes explained.

OPEN FOR COORDINATION

Jugan from the DPWH 6th District Engineering Office and Rapes from ZLREJ Construction both stated that their respective offices are open to a joint inspection as initiated by the Mandaue City Government.

“Open ra jod mi sa LGU if muduol sila namo. If naay mga coordination nga inspection, open ra among office anytime, pwede ra gyud na sila makig-coordinate,” Jugan assured.

For her part, Rapes said that their company has no issues with coordinating with the local government.

“The city that’s their duty to make sure that all the projects are implemented accordingly that’s also for the safety of those people residing in the area,” said Rapes.

Last Monday, November 11, the city council invited the DPWH 6th District Engineering Office and ZLREJ Trading and Construction Corp. to appear at their regular session.

The session aimed to address issues surrounding the collapsed riprap and todiscuss future preventive measures.

However, it was announced before the August Body that the invited parties would instead appear at the next regular session, scheduled for November 25. – /ATO (FREEMAN)