After 15 years at the UST multi-deck carpark building, the UST Alfredo M. Velayo (AMV) College of Accountancy transferred to the Albertus Magnus Building on Dec. 1.
The UST AMV College of Accountancy had been housed at the carpark since 2006.
According to the assistant dean, Asst. Prof. Christine Alday, the construction integrity of the carpark building prompted the transfer of the college.
“We transferred to the Albertus Magnus Building because it is safer than the Multideck Parking Building,” Alday told the Varsitarian.
Fr. Rodel Cansancio, O.P., regent of the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA), said the fourth floor of the carpark building would be used by the University’s basketball and volleyball teams for their in-house “bubble” training.
“The place is ready for CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) inspection,” Cansancio told the Varsitarian.
Safety concerns
Albert Cruz, chair of the accountancy program, said it was “unsafe” for the college to remain at the carpark, given its population.
“We transferred to Albertus Magnus Building mainly because of the safety of the carpark building. Apparently, it is unsafe for the college with a 4,000-5,000 population to remain on the premises because of the construction integrity,” he told the Varsitarian.
Alday said the carpark building was never supposed to house students. The fourth floor of the carpark was constructed when Accountancy separated from the College of Commerce in 2004.
In 2018, when a vehicle short-circuited and caught fire in the carpark building, Lester Toribio, an incident commander, raised concerns over the safety of the building, which was built by a private contractor, Selegna Holdings, under a build-operate-transfer deal.
“The carpark building is the weakest building in the entire UST campus. Underneath the classrooms are cars that are combustible and prone to create large explosions. Fast food establishments and restaurants, they all use gas to cook,” Toribio told the Varsitarian in 2018.
The 52-year-old Albertus Magnus building now houses the UST AMV College of Accountancy, the College of Education, the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM), Education High School, and the Conservatory of Music.
Alday also said that the transfer was planned in 2019 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Programs under CTHM will occupy the sixth to eighth floors of the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building (BGPOP) once face-to-face classes resume.
The Department of Communication and Media Studies of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, which is composed of journalism and communication programs, will also transfer to BGPOP.
