‘Yolanda’ bunkhouses ‘substandard’, not ‘overpriced’–Senate report

Bunkhouses. FILE PHOTO

MANILA,   Philippines – The  bunkhouses  built for  survivors of   Super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in  the Visayas region were “substandard” but not “overpriced,” the  Senate committee on public works  said after completing its investigation on the issue.

In its 15-page report,  the committee  concluded that the bunkhouses were “under specifications, as laid down by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), thereby making these structures substandard.”

The report then cited the following  reasons  why  the  shelters  were substandard:

* lack of necessary constructions materials, as required by the DPWH;

* lack of manpower to actually build the bunkhouses;

* and due to the critical necessity of building temporary shelters for the victims of typhoon Yolanda.

The bunkhouses were built despite the lack of specified materials required by the DPWH, it pointed out.

“It is noteworthy to state however, that despite these deficiencies, the bunkhouses are being remedied, and the necessary corrections are undertaken by the contractors,”    the report said.

But while they were substandard, the committee said,  the shelters  for Yolanda survivors  were not overpriced   “since the contractors who built these temporary housings have not yet been paid even with a single centavo for  the expenses that they incurred in constructing the structures.”

The committee also concluded that the bunkhouses were not in compliance with the international standards in building transitional houses.

But this was because these bunkhouses were built out of the available materials and resources at the time of its construction, the report said.

“The prevailing emergency situation then compelled the government to urgently construct the bunkhouses despite the lack of quality resources in order to save lives, which is more important than compliance with the technicalities of the law,”   it said.

The  report  also   noted    the “stringent requirements” imposed by the Department of  Social Welfare and  Development (DSWD) for families rendered homeless  by the typhoon, which “hindered family-beneficiaries to immediately occupy these bunkhouses despite the  emergency situation that they were confronted with.”

“This defeated the earnest efforts and goal of the National and Local Governments to secure  the welfare of the family-casualties, as they continue to be exposed to the  man-made and natural hazards, since they cannot immediately transfer to these bunkhouses due to impractical technicalities set forth by the DSWD,” said the report.

To address the issues raised during its investigation, the committee saw the need to introduce legislative measures amending the National Building  Code, and other related laws that would clearly define the minimum design guidelines in building temporary structures, and even permanent evacuation centers to be built in local government units in calamity prone areas.

The  committee also  recommended, among others,   the  passage of the proposed measure in Congress, creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development introduced “so that a specific government entity is tasked to focus on the housing or shelter needs of the people.

“The proposed Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will be the sole planning and policy-making body and performance monitoring entity for all housing and urban development concerns, is urgently needed, since it will primarily focused on the access to and affordability of the basic housing needs in the country,”  the report said.

The committee likewise recommended  the   continued investigation by the police into the alleged  collusion  between  contractors and  “at least one politician” in view of the reported irregularities in the construction of the  bunkhouses.

“Should the facts and evidence warrant, the appropriate administrative, criminal and civil charges should be filed against the perpetrators,”  the report further said.

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