Gov’t saves P1.6M as private contractor waives fees

By: Jerry E. Esplanada - 11 years ago

Bunkhouses. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The government has saved nearly P1.6 million after one of over 80 private contractors involved in the construction of bunkhouses for survivors of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in Eastern Visayas waived the payment for its contract.

The Department of Public Works and Highways identified the firm on Wednesday, as R. D. Interior Junior Construction, which has offices in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, and Quezon City.

In a statement, the DPWH noted that the company was one of those which “volunteered to work on the emergency construction of temporary shelters for the victims of Yolanda.”

The contractor has “decided not to accept any payment for its completed project,” it said, referring to two bunkhouse units in Barangay (village) Tacuranga in Palo town, Leyte.

“The donated bunkhouse project is worth P1.59 million,” according to Elizabeth Pilorin, chief of the DPWH Public Information Division’s Stakeholders Relations Service.

Melvin Navarro, director of the DPWH regional office in Cagayan Valley, has “promptly requested for the cancellation of the corresponding sub-allotment release order (No. SR2013-12-01079) intended for the payment of the contracted two units following the receipt of the waiver from R. D. Interior Junior Construction,” she said.

Contacted by phone, Ricardo Interior Jr., owner and operator of the firm, said they “deployed at least 25 workers who built the two bunkhouses, starting in mid-December.”

“The construction phase, completed just last week, was hampered by bad weather. The installation of electrical and water lines are being handled by other teams,” he also said.

Asked why he waived the payment for the project, the Cagayan native said, “money isn’t everything. We’re touched by the sufferings of the typhoon victims.” RD Interior has been in the construction business for about 30 years.

Other contractors “have heeded the call of Secretary Rogelio Singson to remove their overhead and profit margins of about 13 percent, which reduced further the bunkhouse construction costs,” disclosed Pilorin.

Sometime in mid-November, the DPWH lauded an undisclosed number of construction and engineering supply firms for their prompt response to the agency’s appeal for help in road-clearing operations in typhoon-hit communities in Eastern Visayas.

The agency said equipment belonging to private contractors, mainly from Metro Manila and Bicol, outnumbered those deployed by the government in these areas.

Last week, an additional 30 bunkhouses were built by contractors in Leyte and Eastern Samar, bringing to 165 the total number of temporary shelters put up for the typhoon survivors.

The government had planned to construct 222 bunkhouses in these areas.

Rolando Asis, head of the DPWH Eastern Visayas office, has expressed confidence the construction of the remaining temporary shelters would be completed by Friday, January 31.

The bunkhouses are “intended to be used for not more than two years while the permanent shelters are being constructed,” said Singson.

“Any identified sites for relocation should be used in the permanent shelter project of the government with the DPWH doing site development while the National Housing Authority are tasked to undertake the planning and actual construction of permanent houses,” he added.