City officials may face charges over structural defects in OPD building

By Paulo DS. Papa

NAGA CITY --- City government officials involved in the construction of the Outpatient Department (OPD) building of the Naga City General Hospital (NCGH) may face administrative and criminal charges over alleged violations of the National Building Code, City Legal Officer Atty. Angel Ojastro III said on Wednesday, July 8.

Ojastro made the statement following Mayor Leni Robredo’s disclosure during a recent press briefing that several city government projects had been implemented without complete documentation, including the NCGH OPD building, which was reportedly constructed without the required soil test.

According to Robredo, members of the city’s project monitoring team discovered visible cracks in portions of the building. Ojastro said he had also personally observed the cracks during an inspection conducted several months ago.

The city legal officer noted that the OPD building was already operational when Robredo assumed office as mayor on June 30, 2025.

He said the matter has yet to be formally referred to his office for legal review, but stressed that a soil test is a mandatory requirement under Presidential Decree No. 1096, or the National Building Code of the Philippines.

“The requirement should have been complied with during the previous administration,” Ojastro said, adding that public officials responsible for the project had no discretion to disregard the legal prerequisite.

He further explained that the presence of structural damage could give rise to both administrative and criminal liability, regardless of whether anyone has been injured as a result of the building’s deterioration.

Ojastro clarified that even if no structural defects had appeared, an administrative case could still be filed once sufficient evidence establishes non-compliance with the building code.

The construction of the OPD building was authorized for funding under City Ordinance No. 2021-041, enacted on June 1, 2021, and was completed around the third quarter of 2023.

The specific cost of the OPD building remains unclear. However, the construction of the entire Naga City General Hospital was financed under City Ordinance No. 2023-070, which provided for a ₱350-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines and an additional ₱150 million from local or external funding sources.