Field Trip @ the CEO Office in Davao

The Davao’s CEO and OBO and What They are All About

On the afternoon on January 21, Monday, a fieldtrip was held by the AR 59 class visiting the still unfurnished Davao City Museum and most importantly, the City Engineer’s Office in which a small lecture was done by Engr Gloria A. Lumapas of the Office of the Building Official Division of the said office giving us clearer insights on the kind of work the city engineer’s office and the office of the building official do.
Unlike other cities in the country and as supposedly mandated by law, Davao City do not have a separate office for the office of the building official. Instead, it is still under the office of city engineer’s office wherein the city engineer also acts as the building official of the city. The separation of the offices is still on the process as what the city engineer explained.

C.E.O.’s Vision and Mission Statements
The city engineer’s office has vision is to provide excellent engineering services and quality infrastructure facilities that would improve the quality of life of the people of Davao City. Its mission to provide adequate, relevant and efficient infrastructure support facilities and utilities and urban basic services in order to attain the socio-economic upliftment to its citizenry within the framework of sustainable development.

The Organizational Composition and their corresponding functions
The CEO is headed by the city engineer followed by the assistant city engineer. Under them are the three major divisions or clusters namely the engineering services division, the maintenance division and the building office, and an administrative division of the office.
Under the engineering services division are the following:
1. Programming/Design Division – prepares programs of works and detailed estimates of infrastructure projects as well as conducts surveys and investigations.
2. Material Testing and Quality Control Division-ensures quality control of construction materials
3. Construction Division-implements the projects
4. Special Projects Division -in charge for urban and flood control projects

Under the maintenance division are the following:
1. Road Division (city roads)
2. Bridges Division (city bridges)
3. Canal/Drainage Division
4. Batching Plants Division I and II (for asphalts)
5. Water Resources Division (rural water systems such as
6. Motorpool Division (maintenance of all equipment of CEO and LGU)

Under the building office division are the following:
1. Building Permit Division-for the process, approval and issuance of building permits and certificates of Occupancy, assessments of building permits, application and plans, investigation and inspection of construction of private buildings
2. Electrical Division- for the assessment, process, approval and issuance of electrical permits
3. Mechanical Division- for review and approval of mechanical plans; assessment of mechanical installation ad fees; conducts safety inspection on business establishment; monitors illegally installed/ operating business establishments
4. Demolition Division-for the control of sidewalk vendors, signage/streamers installed, and squatters in the city.

The Processing of Building Permits
In processing of a building permit, the applicant first goes to the CEO to secure application form and then goes to the city planning office to have the issuance of Zoning Locational Clearance. After that, the applicant submits all documents and plans to the OBO and pay fees assessed by the OBO to the City Treasurer’s Office. The applicant must then have Fire Correction Sheet with the corresponding endorsement of the building official and then the building official will direct the applicant to the different divisions in the office.
The application of building permits can be easily approved which usually lasts for three to four days if there are no problems found in the documents and plans such as the applicant is able to comply with the requirements and meet with the set standards.

Problems and Situations Encountered by the Office
Like any other offices or agencies in the government, the CEO also faces different problems. Engr. Lumapas recalls some instances wherein some applicants cheat, change the data in their documents and plans which are far from the actual state of the building. That is why the office tries to do follow-ups and inspections frequently to make sure that the constructed buildings conform to the standards. The office also faces hardheaded owners who fail to follow the rules and regulations set in the national building code. But mostly, establishments reminded by the office them to comply with the requirements respond obligingly.
Demolition jobs of squatters and sidewalk vendors also give headache to the office. But the biggest problem that the city engineer’s office is facing is the lack of personnel. Many of them have quit their job to work abroad especially in Dubai leaving only few remaining personnel in the office making it hard to monitor or inspect buildings and infrastructures and implement their projects.

the fieldtrip in the CEO is quite an experience not because of the their building because it is just quite small, but the learning that we were able to have in the short lecture that was held that would surely be useful to us when we become professional architects in the future.