Temporary shelters not overpriced, says Lacson
Rehabilitation czar Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. LYN RILLON
The bunkhouses built as temporary shelters for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda used substandard materials, but these were not overpriced, according to former Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, the presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery.
“Well, there’s no question, there is no overpricing. I sent a pool of civil engineers who went to the area, and to take a look at the standard specifications prepared by the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways). This is also what [Public Works] Secretary [Rogelio “Babes”] Singson is saying, and we agree,” Lacson said.
“But on the substandard materials, those under specifications, even substituting of materials, these did not follow the specs of the DPWH. There’s no question about it,” he added.
“Even Secretary Singson admitted that there were shortcomings in the actual implementation. They (contractors) are now more aware that we are watching them, and they will not evade us. They will not be paid according to Secretary Babes.”
Lacson also noted that there could have been no overpricing since the DPWH itself would be at fault since it was the one that pegged the price for the construction of 220 bunkhouses in a dozen typhoon-battered towns in Eastern Visayas.
He said the government had also agreed to scrap the construction of more bunkhouses.
“I conferred with Secretary Babes that we’ll do away with the bunkhouses. We will just give construction materials to people who want to build their own transition shelters. If they repair their old houses, those are in effect temporary shelters as they will eventually be relocated,” Lacson said.
He did not name the politicians who were on his “short list” of individuals who allegedly demanded kickbacks from the construction of the bunkhouses.
He explained that he exposed the irregularities only to make the public more vigilant because after this initial P838,000-per-unit bunkhouse, the rehabilitation effort would go “full swing” and the DPWH projects would be worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
“And on a positive note, we found out that those who were meddling in the bunkhouses have decided to lie low,” he said.
Meddling politicians
Lacson clarified that he only said there were no more than 10 meddling politicians who were getting in the way of his work.
“But, you know, that’s of no moment. What is important is if you do not want to help, do not obstruct, do not react or do not be a hindrance,” he said. “That was my message to the media. Just like what Dirty Harry said: ‘Either you’re in or in the way.’”
He said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Armed Forces were conducting their own probe of the alleged kickbacks. “Whether or not criminal charges will be filed, it will depend on the evidence,” he said.
Lacson said the government could not file charges against the erring contractors because of a provision in Republic Act No. 9184, or the procurement law, that gives contractors between 60 and 90 days to do repairs.
“I think this should be amended because if the project was built below specification or it used substandard materials, why should we allow them to make repairs? We will propose to Congress to amend this particular provision,” he said.
The former Philippine National Police chief said the DPWH could only punish the erring contractors by withholding payment until they complied with the government standards.
Lacson, however, does not know how the DPWH would treat the bunkhouses repaired by other entities, like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which spent P10,000 for the repair of each unit.
Lacson also declared he did not accept the post of rehabilitation coordinator because he was after a higher post in 2016.
“I’m not a presidential aspirant. I have no pretensions,” he said. “I am focused on my job and that’s it. What you see is what you get. I’m just six weeks in my job but it’s as if I grew older by six years.”
Indonesian model
Lacson alluded several times to the massive rehabilitation efforts in Indonesia following the earthquake and tsunami that left 200,000 dead in countries on the Indian Ocean rim as his model for his task.
He specifically mentioned Indonesia’s Pak Kuntoro. He said Kuntoro had “near absolute authority,” which he sought before accepting the job of rebuilding Aceh province in Sumatra.
“He was acting like a military governor in the area or he had the authority of hiring and firing,” Lacson said. “In my case, I was given a memorandum order, purely coordination. But we have the support of the line agencies.”
He said local politics was his team’s biggest challenge because “politics is shallow there: If the mayor is a rival, the town is ignored.”
Lacson said mayors had so far been receptive to his appeal to spare the typhoon victims from politics.
Lacson said the problem was “prevalent” from the governor to representative to the mayor. “That is the reason why we have the private sponsor to fill these gaps,” he said, referring to neglected municipalities like Marabut and Basey on Samar.
If the National Housing Authority does not have an available land to give to the victims, he said, the private sector would be asked to buy the lot, build the houses and donate them.
The private sector has a major role in the rehabilitation work, which Lacson said could “outlive this administration and even the next administration.”
“Once they have been set in motion, they won’t drop it because after all, they have a corporate social responsibility which is, more or less, permanent,” he said.
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