Solon demands filing of criminal, admin charges vs NHA officials
Published May 12, 2018 04:57 pm
By Ben Rosario
Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Ariel Casilao today demanded the immediate filing of criminal and administrative charges against erring officials of the National Housing Authority involved in the production of substandard houses for victims of super typhoon Yolanda.
City Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar together with House of Representatives Committee on Housing and Urban Development Chairman Rep. Albee Benitez, Committee on Public Works and Highways Chairman Rep. Celso Lobregat, NHA Regional Director Engr. Al Indanan and other top officials of the city plunged into the seawater when the stilt catwalk they were passing collapsed during the site inspection of the NHA built Houses on Stilts for IDP’s in Barangay rio Hondo, Zamboanga City. (Bhong Simbajon)
This developed as the House committee on housing and urban development summoned NHA officials and contractors of the controversial housing project for victims of the 2013 Zamboanga siege.
Committee chairman and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez said summonses have also been issued to residents of Barangay Rio Hondo in Zamboanga City.
Earlier, Benitez led an inquiry into the Yolanda housing project where defective houses were discovered following an inspection conducted by the housing panel.
The committee recommended the filing of charges against one of the contractors.
Casilao said the NHA must expedite the filing of criminal and administrative action against those behind the implementation of the Yolanda housing program.
He urged President Duterte to urgently look into the matter and take appropriate action.
Casilao noted that billions worth of people’s taxes and private donations were obviously wasted by criminal-minded NHA officials and housing contractors who were engaged in constructing Yolanda housing projects.
“They benefited from the sufferings of Yolanda victims for years who had to live in substandard housing units in remote relocation areas that are without basic social services,” Casilao said..
Benitez and local officials of Zamboanga City experienced firsthand the everyday dangers faced by residents of a government housing and community project built with substandard materials.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo “Albee’ Benitez, together with Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco and Rep. Celso Lobregat, fell into a murky creek in Sitio Hongkong, Barangay Rio Hondo, after the wooden footbridge they were stepping on collapsed.
Benitez and his team of inspectors from the housing and urban development panel met the accident while on an inspection tour of housing and community facilities built by the government for the Zamboanga siege victims.
Only minor injuries were reported.
“Nothing more can convince us that people left homeless as a result of the 2013 Zamboanga siege have become victims twice. We became victims ourselves,” Benitez said.
The senior administration congressman revealed that there were pieces of evidence indicating that the housing and facilities built for the Zamboanga siege victims were made of substandard materials and inferior engineering.
Benitez had sought a legislative inquiry into the construction of housing projects for families rendered homeless following man-made and natural disasters.
He said residents of the housing project built by contractors of the National Housing Authority are assured of immediate action on their complaints about the substandard housing units awarded them.
Benitez and the housing panel have also inspected the sanitation, ventilation and power facilities in the Zamboanga City relocation communities for displaced city residents.
He lamented that both Zamboanga City siege and super typhoon Yolanda victims in Samar and Leyte were forced to accept poorly-built houses that government contractors offered.
City Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar together with House of Representatives Committee on Housing and Urban Development Chairman Rep. Albee Benitez, Committee on Public Works and Highways Chairman Rep. Celso Lobregat, NHA Regional Director Engr. Al Indanan and other top officials of the city plunged into the seawater when the stilt catwalk they were passing collapsed during the site inspection of the NHA built Houses on Stilts for IDP’s in Barangay rio Hondo, Zamboanga City. (Bhong Simbajon)
This developed as the House committee on housing and urban development summoned NHA officials and contractors of the controversial housing project for victims of the 2013 Zamboanga siege.
Committee chairman and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez said summonses have also been issued to residents of Barangay Rio Hondo in Zamboanga City.
Earlier, Benitez led an inquiry into the Yolanda housing project where defective houses were discovered following an inspection conducted by the housing panel.
The committee recommended the filing of charges against one of the contractors.
Casilao said the NHA must expedite the filing of criminal and administrative action against those behind the implementation of the Yolanda housing program.
He urged President Duterte to urgently look into the matter and take appropriate action.
Casilao noted that billions worth of people’s taxes and private donations were obviously wasted by criminal-minded NHA officials and housing contractors who were engaged in constructing Yolanda housing projects.
“They benefited from the sufferings of Yolanda victims for years who had to live in substandard housing units in remote relocation areas that are without basic social services,” Casilao said..
Benitez and local officials of Zamboanga City experienced firsthand the everyday dangers faced by residents of a government housing and community project built with substandard materials.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo “Albee’ Benitez, together with Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco and Rep. Celso Lobregat, fell into a murky creek in Sitio Hongkong, Barangay Rio Hondo, after the wooden footbridge they were stepping on collapsed.
Benitez and his team of inspectors from the housing and urban development panel met the accident while on an inspection tour of housing and community facilities built by the government for the Zamboanga siege victims.
Only minor injuries were reported.
“Nothing more can convince us that people left homeless as a result of the 2013 Zamboanga siege have become victims twice. We became victims ourselves,” Benitez said.
The senior administration congressman revealed that there were pieces of evidence indicating that the housing and facilities built for the Zamboanga siege victims were made of substandard materials and inferior engineering.
Benitez had sought a legislative inquiry into the construction of housing projects for families rendered homeless following man-made and natural disasters.
He said residents of the housing project built by contractors of the National Housing Authority are assured of immediate action on their complaints about the substandard housing units awarded them.
Benitez and the housing panel have also inspected the sanitation, ventilation and power facilities in the Zamboanga City relocation communities for displaced city residents.
He lamented that both Zamboanga City siege and super typhoon Yolanda victims in Samar and Leyte were forced to accept poorly-built houses that government contractors offered.