Yolanda bunkhouses substandard but not overpriced, says Senate public works body
Bunkhouses. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Senate public works committee has concluded that the bunkhouses built for survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda’’ in Eastern Visayas were substandard, but not overpriced.
The committee, chaired by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., reported out that the bunkhouses were under specifications, “making them substandard.’’
Quoting experts and public works officials, the committee said the shelters lacked the necessary construction materials, and the necessary manpower to build them.
“Due to the critical necessity of building temporary shelters for victims of typhoon Yolanda, at the soonest time possible after the catastrophe struck, the bunkhouses were built despite the lack of specified materials required by the Department of Public Works and Highways,’’ it said in a committee report.
Despite the deficiencies, the bunkhouses were “being remedied’’ and the “necessary corrections’’ were adopted, it added.
The committee opened a hearing on reports that the bunkhouses were substandard and possibly overpriced in early February, and inspected Tacloban City and Palo town, both in Leyte province.
An international shelter group reported that the bunkhouses being developed by the Department of Public Works and Highways did not comply with internationally recognized standards and best practices.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson had denied the bunkhouses were overpriced and substandard.
Yolanda, packing sustained winds of 235 kilometers per hour and gusting up to 275 kph, swirled through Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8 last year, leveling mostly seaside villages and leaving more than 6,000 dead.
The committee said the bunkhouses did not comply with international standards on the construction of transitional houses.
The reason, it said, was that the shelters were built “out of the available materials and resources.’’
“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 committee, however, said the shelters were not overpriced, pointing out that the contractors who built them have not been paid a single centavo.
It also noted that “extremely bureaucratic processes’’ stopped families of survivors from immediately occupying the shelters.
In effect, this “defeated’’ the government’s goal of securing the survivors who continued to be “exposed to the man-made and natural hazards,’’ it said.
The committee recommended legislation amending National Building Code to clearly define the minimum design guidelines in constructing temporary structures, and even permanent evacuation centers.
“Architect Felino Palafox Jr. has pointed out that currently, there is no clear definition and minimum design standard for temporary buildings / structures that serves as reference for officials to follow,’’ it said.
The committee endorsed the approval of the proposal to create a Department of Housing and Urban Development so that a government entity could focus on the shelter needs of the people.
The committee urged the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to pursue the alleged collusion between private contractors and a local politician in the construction of bunkhouses.
“Should the facts and evidence warrant, the appropriate administrative, criminal and civil charges should be filed against the perpetrators,’’ it said.
Rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson has hinted of a possible collusion between contractors and a local politician to profit from the construction of bunkhouses.
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