The chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development said government officials and contractors linked to the construction of Yolanda housing projects have been summoned to attend the continuation of the lower chamber’s probe on the project’s implementation.
Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez of Negros Occidental, the panel chairman, said officials of the National Housing Authority (NHA); JC Tayag, who won the bidding for the Yolanda housing project; and new whistle- blowers are expected to appear on Monday to answer several questions related to the implementation of housing relocation and resettlement projects for those affected by Supertyphoon Yolanda.
Benitez said material used for the construction units were “substandard”, “subcontractors has ordered 10-millimeter steel rods for P115 each but rusty 8-mm steel rods worth P70 arrived.”
The government has earmarked P75 billion for the implementation of a housing and resettlement program for Yolanda victims.
However, four years after Yolanda devastated communities in Eastern Visayas, Benitez revealed that only 23,414 of the projected 205,128 housing units under the government’s resettlement program for the typhoon victims are being occupied.
He said substandard construction of Yolanda housing projects is the main reason the occupancy rate is low with a meager 11.4 percent. “Among the issues in resettlement areas for Yolanda victims [that the committee has identified] include size of housing is inadequate, structure is substandard quality, lack of livelihood opportunities in resettlement sites, lack of potable water supply in resettlement sites and lack of power line in the area,” Benitez said.
Citing the report of the NHA as of February, Benitez said that out of the projected 205,128 housing units under the government’s resettlement program for the victims of Yolanda, only 67,754 units, or 37 percent, were actually constructed, with only 23,414 units, or 11 percent, being occupied.
Meanwhile, he said 74,286 units are currently under construction. “Four years has passed, only 23,414 housing units are occupied—a mere 11.4 percent. This is based on NHA figures. Thirty-three percent has been completed and total of 73,286 units are ongoing construction.”
Rep. Ben P. Evardone of Eastern Samar, who filed a resolution investigating the slow implementation of Yolanda housing projects, said years after Yolanda, the people have anxiously observed the snail-paced implementation of the resettlement projects for the victims, as well as those living in danger zones.
“Procurement policies, land acquisition issues and the many permits and clearances needed to start certain projects have been cited as among the primary reasons that slow down the implementation of the resettlement projects,” Evardone added.