Ejercito, chairman of the Senate committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement, said the investigation aims to make concern government agencies and contractors accountable for building poor quality houses.
“If there is
negligence, we have laws. We will conduct thorough research and investigation
on the housing because we do not want a repeat of mistakes of the housing
program in future disasters,” Ejercito said.
The senator said that
common problem among government housing projects for disaster victims is the
slow pace of construction of permanent houses.
“But we need to
conduct first an investigation before we can recommend to file a case. If we
found out that there is negligence, definitely we will recommend charges,”
Ejercito said.
“It almost five years
now and the government still need to deliver these houses promised to them. So
I will be filling a resolution to look into housing program in disaster-hit
areas,” he added.
Aside from
investigation, Ejercito will also push for the creation of Department of Human
Settlement and Urban Development.
Under the proposal,
the agency will be an umbrella agency for all key shelter agencies to harmonize
the efforts.
Ejercito was in this city late Thursday afternoon to visit three housing projects - Guadalupe Heights, New Hope Village, and Knight Ridge.
Ejercito was in this city late Thursday afternoon to visit three housing projects - Guadalupe Heights, New Hope Village, and Knight Ridge.
Among the most common
complaints he received from housing recipients are sub-standard houses, leaks
in septic tanks, absence of water and electricity supply, and building of
permanent houses in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas.
“The problems here
are more manageable because contractors are open to dialogues with the
beneficiaries and trying to address concerns,” the senator noted.
He said that aside
from this city, he will also visit housing projects built in Iloilo and other
areas in central Philippines devastated by the 2013 killer typhoon.
National Housing
Authority (NHA) Regional Manager Rizalde Mediavillo said they are not ignoring
complaints of housing beneficiaries.
“The problem with
permanent housing units was not noticed in the past because of the marching
order to relocate beneficiaries even if houses are not yet ready for occupancy.
Contractors are now going back to fix the problem in these units,” Mediavillo
told reporters.
In Tacloban City, out
of more than 14,000 housing units intended for Yolanda victims, more than 9,000
units had already been awarded to beneficiaries.
Of the more than
50,000 housing units in the entire region, more than 20,000 units had been
turned
over to
beneficiaries, said Mediavillo. (RTA/PNA)
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