Lacson on Yolanda rehab: Traders of substandard materials charged, no evidence vs officials

Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Charges have been filed against those involved in selling substandard materials in provinces, Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson said Monday.

However, he said they have yet to find evidence if any government official was involved.

On the other hand, contractors who built bunkhouses using substandard materials were not paid by the government.

“Charges have been filed against the traders. As regards to substandard materials finding their way in stores, and hardwares and even all the way to Yolanda corridor, no local government official is involved,” Lacson said during the press conference for the multi-stakeholders forum on the rehabilitation of typhoon “Yolanda”-hit areas.

“We were hoping that a contractor would blow the whistle. Nobody did. And so we’re short in evidence. I would have wanted to charge the politician involved,” he added.

He said the Philippine National Police confirmed, in its investigation, that the materials used in some bunkhouses were substandard. Instead of spending P836,000 on each bunkhouse, the contractors only spent P500,000.

“I understand from (Public Works) Secretary (Rogelio) Singson that they deferred or even refused to pay the contractors. I think that’s punishment enough,” Lacson said.

Asked if the contractors will be blacklisted by the government for using substandard materials, Singson said they are “trying to be more understanding of the situation.”

“The reason given to us was we pushed the immediate construction of the bunkhouses so they made use of what was available in the market,” he said, explaining that it had been difficult finding contractors willing to work in typhoon-hit areas.

“Nonetheless we never paid any substandard material or any bunkhouse using substandard material. They had to rectify and remove the defective material. That was the only time that we could pay,” Singson said.

He said some contractors even decided to donate the bunkhouses after they replaced the materials based on the correct specifications.

“In the end, the government was not cheated in the sense that we did not pay for any bunkhouse that did not meet the specifications,” he said.

But Lacson said the weaknesses of the law should be addressed.

He said Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Policy Reform Act should be amended.

“There’s a provision there giving the contractors 90 days to make amends, to correct the mistakes and to me that’s encouraging them to construct with defects. If they get away with it, then fine, they get bigger profits. If they are found out then they have 90 days,” he said.

Lacson said they will soon propose legislation to the Senate and the House of Representatives that will amend or delete the said provision “so they won’t have any flexibility or leeway to use substandard materials or construct with defects.”

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