Grand view to 'suicide'

“EXPERIENCE LUXURIOUS living at Grandview Tower Hotel.”
So crowed a praise release finding front page space in one local paper.
“And suffer ignominious dying, as a suicide.”
So we wish to add, in view – not grand but morbid – of the fatal fall of 75-year-old Austrian national Norbert Walser from Grandview Tower’s roof deck to Tamarind Street below on Valentine’s Day.
That Walser was identified in the police spot report as an American named Tom Miller; that the police readily concluded he committed suicide, sans the most elementary investigation, opened more questions, raised speculations, and stirred up imputations rather than closed the case.
Why, even the city police director himself, when queried about the incident, dismissed it as “lumang isyu na yan.” Leading us to conclude that what’s-his-name Recomono is more suited to be tabloid editor than cop. Which makes us now understand the proliferation of petty crimes in the city.
Yeah, it takes more than petty minds to check petty crimes, as the now lamented Colonel Carbungco of the 174th Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police Company was won’t to say.
Walser’s fall opened, as it were, Pandora’s Box, releasing all its malevolent content upon Grandview Tower.
Sleuthing by Punto! ace reporter Joey Pavia discovered that Grandview Tower was issued a “partial” occupancy permit signed by City Engineer Donato Dizon in August 2011.
The permit specifically covered only the ground, the 6th and 7th floors of the building.
Neither architect nor engineer, I am at a loss as to how it was possible to occupy the 6th and 7th floors with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors unpermitted for occupancy and therefore presumed to be still under construction.
It defies my sense of logic all the more that Wasler, a walk-in customer at Grandview Tower’s coffeeshop, was able to climb all the way to the roof deck – likewise not covered by an occupancy permit – and from there fall to his death.
Don’t these constitute clear violations of the “partial” occupancy permit?
The elevator within the premises does not exculpate the owners-management of Grandview Tower.
Except for those covered by the partial occupancy permit, all floors of the hotels – no matter their accessibility by elevator – are understandably off limits to customers and guests.
So why was Walser and, presumably, other customers allowed access to the roof deck?
Indeed, why – despite the absence of any occupancy permit – did Grandview Tower commercialize the roof deck during the hot air balloon festival from February 9-12?
Issued were invitation cards for viewing of the hot air balloons from Grandview Tower’s roof deck complete with breakfast for P500 per pax.
Thereafter, the double visionary from Mabalacat, Deng Pangilinan, regaled the media boys of the great vantage point the Grandview roof deck provided for photographing the balloons.
Commercialization of a yet unfinished – and therefore unsafe, yet unpermitted to occupy place makes a blatant violation of the building code. It does not take a lawyer to know that.
So amid all these open violations, what is the Angeles City engineer doing about it? Sadly nothing.
Maybe waiting for another suicide to take place.
“Live the grand life, Grandview Tower redefines living in style and luxury.”
So read a Grandview collateral.
Yeah, Grandview Tower – with Walser’s fall – has definitely redefined dying in ignominy.
A grand view to a kill there.