Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Gaisano mall floor 'safe'

THE City Building Office (CBO) Monday assured that the fourth floor of the Gaisano mall remained structurally stable despite reports of cracks sustained as a result of the crowd that gathered in a promotional activity there last Sunday.

In a radio interview, CBO chief Engineer Mario Batar said he and some CBO personnel went to the area after receiving reports about the incident and explained that while they saw some cracks in the tiles, it was nothing to be worried about.

"Yes, there were cracks in the tiles but these weren't deep enough to cause the floor to collapse. We went down to the third floor and we didn't saw any cracks in the ceiling so as long as there are no cracks, the floor is stable," Batar said.

He said the office conducts annual inspections of all commercial establishments starting from June to December.

Batar said past inspections held in Gaisano mall showed the establishment is structurally sound.

Gaisano mall management had yet to issue their statement on the incident as of this writing Monday.

Last Sunday afternoon, a livelihood program launching featuring a popular actress was held at the fourth floor of the Gaisano mall drawing in a crowd who panicked after someone noted that there were cracks in the fourth floor.

The identity of the person who spotted the cracks was not known and the crowd responded by rushing downstairs and packing the escalators.

Later several persons called up dxIF Bombo Radyo and complained that the organizers of the activity didn't facilitate the safe exit of the crowd, instead proceeding with the event as if nothing happened.

They also voiced concern over the structural stability of the fourth floor owing to the forthcoming annual City Fiesta, which expects a large turnout of city residents and visitors trooping to Cagayan de Oro's malls.

The fourth floor of Gaisano mall had been the site of many fatal jumps and a complaint from one nearby church.

The latest fatal jump resulted in the injury of one woman shopper, whose head and neck got injured after a man fell on top of her. There were reports of minor payments by the mall management on the woman shopper.

Monday, July 9, 2007

City Hall mulls jailbreak inquiry

RESPONDING to security concerns from alarmed residents, a City Council committee will hold an inquiry into last week's bloody jailbreak at the Cagayan de Oro City jail. Ian Mark Nacaya, chairman of the police and public safety committee, said they would also invite Police Director Aurelio Trampe to brief the committee on the state of peace and order in the city this Wednesday.

The development came even as an inmate who landed in the hospital as a result of the failed jailbreak died last Saturday noon at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). Rogelio Paguya expired after his lungs, punctured by the bullets that hit them, failed to sustain him.

Paguya was also wounded in other vital organs in last Thursday afternoon's jailbreak. The police official is expected to explain the successive cases of car thefts and robberies in the past weeks, Nacaya said, admitting the recent surge of criminal activities has already caused public alarm. While he believes that crimes are part and parcel of a growing city, the councilor stressed that this do not absolve the police from taking responsibilities. Since assuming his position early last year, Trampe had been summoned several times in the City Council for crime-related inquiries.

At one point, several councilors in the 14th City Council had asked for his removal. "If the committee finds that replacing Director Trampe is necessary, then it will not hesitate to recommend so," Nacaya said. "But of course, we have to hear Director Trampe's explanation before the committee can recommend anything." The same fate awaits Lumbia jail officials, where a foiled jailbreak last Thursday left three inmates dead. Staging a mock fight, nine inmates jumped from one of the prison's towers into liberty after distracting the jail guards.

Although three of the would-be escapees were killed by pursuing authorities--and the rest recovered, residents surrounding the prison facility were horrified at the thought of prisoners invading their homes. "The neighboring residents aired concerns on their safety with the kind of security we have at Lumbia Jail. We want to know from the jail officials what really happened," the councilor said. If the committee finds that the jail officials had been remiss in their job, Nacaya said they would recommend their relief

Saturday, July 7, 2007

City folks edgy over cult rumors

IT MAY be a mere hoax or not but city residents and public officials are asking police authorities to look into reports of a cult group that murders and slices off girls’ breasts and is now prowling in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental.

As early as last month, Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro received six text messages stating how a cult group is going around the city killing helpless females and slicing their breasts off as token.These text messages, though written differently, sent out a dire warning for young girls and any woman not to go out on her own at night as “it is no longer safe.”

Then there is one text message that reads: “Naa usab babae nga gibiktima ug gi-slike usab iyang totoy didto sa Jasaan, Misamis Oriental pero hangtud karon walay report sa mga polis. (There is also a woman who was victimized and her breasts were sliced off by this cult group also operating in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental and until now there is no police report on it).”Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro received another text message Friday and this time another woman was victimized.

“Naay patay sa Carmen ang kulto kagabii. Seven months pregnant pa gyud. Taga-Bulua ang babae. Sa Carmen siya gipatay. Gikuhaan gihapon ug breasts (The cult group killed another woman who was seven months pregnant residing in Barangay Bulua this city. Her breasts were also sliced off.),” the text message reads.

“Ayaw kumpyansa lakaw-lawka ug gabii kay delikado na kaayo. Kamulo pa ni ginapangita sa mga polis. (Do not go out on your own at night it is very dangerous. Do not take anything for granted as this is still being checked by the police),” the message further said.The text message again contained a warning that each should be extra careful in “looking out for our loved ones” with this cult group at large.

“It is no longer safe. Refrain from going out late at night. If you must, go out in groups it is better to be safe than sorry,” the text message reads.But Cagayan de Oro City Police Director Aurelio Trampe told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro Friday that his men at the Carmen Police Precinct did not receive any report of a woman being murdered with breasts sliced off.

Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Hotels and Accommodations in CDO

These are some of the hotels and accommodations in the city, listed alphabetically:
Casa Crystalla
Cagayan Park View Hotel
Chali Beach Hotel
Coconut Bay Resort
Country Village Hotel
DDD Habitat Inn
De Luxe Hotel
Demiren Hotel
Discovery Hotel
Dynasty Court Hotel
Grand City Hotel
Harbor Lights
Hotel Conchita
Hotel Koresco
Hotel Ramon
La Mar Inn
Malasag House
Mallberry Suites Hotel
Marco Hotel
MASS-SPECC Hostel
Maxandrea Hotel
Middleton Apartelle
Mountain Suites Business Apartelle
Nature's Pensionne
Pearlmont Inn
Philtown Hotel
Pryce Plaza Hotel
Ridge View Chalets
River View Inn
Southwinds Hotel
The Malasag House
VIP Hotel
Y.M.C.A.