Diving pool construction halted due to subpar work

The city government has decided to discontinue construction of the diving pool at the swimming pool complex of the Baguio Athletic Bowl due to the presence of a sewer beneath it.
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña and Councilor Mylen Yaranon reported the excavation done during the construction had caused sewer seepage. The liquid from the sewer seeps into the pool, making it unusable.
Corrective measures were employed to address the leakage but no avail, dela Peña said.
The unfinished diving pool used to be a warm-up pool. Due to the circumstances, Yaranon proposed to revert the diving pool to a warm-up pool in order to maximize use of space. The city council unanimously agreed with the proposal.
Construction of the diving pool was included in the scope of work of contractor, RAG Construction.
Dela Peña said the contract between the city government and RAG Construction needs to be terminated to allow the city government to revert the diving pool to its original form.
Enumerating other reasons why the contract needs to be terminated, dela Peña said the contractor failed to meet the deadline in the rehabilitation of the entire swimming pool complex and also failed to produce satisfactory work.
Despite the city government’s efforts to constantly send reminders and notices, construction problems remained unaddressed, dela Peña said.
He said the contractor’s project slippage and subpar performance are sufficient grounds for termination of contract.
Also, present in the council session, Paul Rillorta of the City Sports Division relayed that the consultant noted the quality of the construction work was unsatisfactory. Up to now, the contractor has yet to rectify the flaws and address the deficiencies, Rillorta said.
Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales has proposed the blacklisting of the contractor from all infrastructure projects of the city government. He cited his own observation on the contractor’s failure in completing certain components of the project which affected the training of city’s athletes and rendered the city’s learn-to-swim program unimplementable.
Because of the unfinished construction, the swimming pool complex is not yet ready to be used by athletes and the public. – Jordan G. Habbiling