By Leander Palalon | March 10, 2021
Silliman University unveiled the completion of the newly-constructed Pharma building located beside Pulido Hall. According to SU’s Buildings and Grounds Department Head Engr. Edgar Ygnalaga, the building is intended for Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Ophthalmology students.
Ygnalaga said that the building has passed the safety checks done by the Bureau of Fire Protection and is also set to the university’s safety standards.
“The only thing needed for it to be occupied is the certificate of occupancy from the City Engineer’s Office, which would allow Silliman to hold classes within the building,” said SU Buildings and Grounds Department Head Engr. Edgar Ygnalaga.
The building has a total of 8 rooms, 7 allotted for classes and 1 as an office for the director of the programs that would reside in the building. Each classroom can hold at most 45 students.
The building is located near the SU Medical School and SU Medical Center, to place it in an area where many allied health programs are situated.
“[The position of the building] is part of an effort to consolidate the allied health sciences in one area that is near to the SU Medical Center,” Engr. Ygnalaga added.
The building’s total awarded cost amounted to Php 17,870,475.76. The cost covered all the needed components of the building. This included the air conditioners, the lights, etc.
The bidding process started in December 2018 and was awarded to a Dumaguete-based construction company and the notice to proceed with the construction was issued on January 31, 2019.
However, there were certain provisions that Silliman wanted to include in the contract to protect the investment of the university, which led to a pause in the construction process.
Construction resumed on April 1, 2019. During the construction process, the company responsible for the building faced difficulties and delays because there was only one accessway to the construction site.
Ygnalaga also said that construction was “hard to do during daytime due to the presence of the access road and the limited space to maneuver.” Work continued until 2020 when the construction efforts were hindered by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Since the programs that were supposed to occupy the building had a limited number of enrollees for this academic year, the building is open to be used by other programs, specifically by the Senior High department, as classrooms for lectures.
The building is set to open after the admin receives the certificate of occupancy from the city engineer’s office.
