Probe points to ‘sabotage’ in legislative building water leak

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The major water leak from a flexible hose in the legislative building on Aug. 28 may have been caused by sabotage, according to the findings of an investigation, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said.

“What they discovered upon investigation is that it seemed that someone deliberately poked it […] They are looking into the angle that maybe there was sabotage,” she said in a press conference on Monday, Sept. 8.

The leak, initially attributed to a burst hose caused by excessive water pressure, originated in the pantry of the seventh-floor conference room.

According to an incident report, the rupture occurred at the reducer pipe, causing uncontrolled water flow that reached the server room and records section before cascading to lower floors and affecting all seven levels of the building.

Treñas-Chu said the Office of the City Engineer explained that the punctured hose was inconsistent with a typical leak, which would normally occur at the connection between two materials.

The City Engineer’s Office also ruled out earlier reports of excessive water pressure as the cause.

The mayor said that since sabotage is a possibility, security measures are being reviewed, and five roving guards have been deployed to protect the building.

She added that the city is considering enlisting the Philippine National Police or the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a formal probe, but noted this remains pending because the hose — the primary evidence — may already have been tampered with.

The PHP 400-million legislative building, constructed by Quezon City-based E.M. Cuerpo Inc., began in 2021.

Its completion has been delayed multiple times, with deadlines moved from March 2023 to January 2025, and now September 2025.

The city government has already collected PHP 3 million in liquidated damages from the contractor for unfinished work.

Several critical installations, including one of the building’s elevators and a skywalk connecting it to Iloilo City Hall, remain incomplete.