The Department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH)-San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Project Management team assured Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso during a recent briefing that reconstruction efforts are in place for the Pandacan portion of the Skyway Project which was hit by fire last Saturday.
The representatives from DPWH-SMC reported that the cause of the collapse was the structure’s exposure to extremely high temperature.
“Mainit na mainit po eh, ‘yan po ay bumagsak, naapektuhan po ‘yung bakal n’ya,” one of engineers confirmed.
Domagoso expressed his concern over the roads affected by the collapse, as well as its impact on the surrounding community.
“I want to compartmentalize the problem for the general public. After today, ano ang mangyayari sa lungsod ng Maynila?” Domagoso asked.
DPWH-SMC clarified that they are still assessing the full scope of work but likewise assured there is a new target set for the project’s completion.
“Unless we know the extent of the damage, it’s hard to disclose any concrete timeline, but for the main trunk line we will try to finish it by December 2020,” the DPWH-SMC representative said.
An estimated 300 meters of the Skyway Stage 3 project was affected by a fire that hit a plastic plant of San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp. in Pandacan, Manila on Saturday.
In a statement, San Miguel Corp. said its SMC Infrastructure’s technical team went to the site after the fire was put under control and discovered the damage it made.
While the blaze affected 300 meters of the project, “the full extent of damage and its impact to the construction, has yet to be determined,” the company added.
SMC, meanwhile, vowed to extend assistance the families whose houses were razed by the fire.
“We are ready to provide assistance to anyone directly affected by the incident,” it said.
The fire broke out at 10:38 a.m. at Barangay 865 in Pandacan. Due to its intensity, the fire reached Task Force Bravo barely 30 minutes after the first alarm was raised.
It was put out hours later at 2:50 p.m., but not before dealing an estimated P15 million in property damage, according to Fire Superintendent Roberto Samillano Jr, deputy fire marshal of the Manila Fire.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said that the completion date for the Skyway Stage 3 might be pushed back due to the fire./ STACY ANG
