The school year is about to start again in a matter of days and with that in mind, it’s a good thing that the officers of the city of Manila deemed it proper to check out the dormitories and boarding houses around the university belt. In Recto alone, close to 90% of the dormitories and boarding houses were considered inhabitable. No fire extinguishers, no fire exits and with poor ventilation. Despite the city’s efforts to have these dorms and boarding houses to shut down, many budget-challenged parents and self-supporting students who are willing to settle for such facilities, are sustaining these businesses. On top of that, the usual excuse that the people using the facility are related to the land owner makes it even more difficult for the city officials to enforce the rules.

I’m glad that the city engineers office is doing something to address the situation, given the serious hazards these facilities come with. I just hope that the engineers working for the city of manila are beyond qualified and had underwent bpi training. On top of that I hope the engineers and the city officials will remain vigilant in catching the operators to ensure that they are complying to the requirements.