No sub-standard materials in Zambo rehab, DPWH vows

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines   - Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said they are closely monitoring the rehabilitation projects, including the construction of thousands of houses, in four areas in this city devastated during the siege of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels in September last year.

Singson arrived here Friday to assess the DPWH's P3.5-billion rehabilitation and resettlement projects.

Singson was accompanied by Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and the city’s representatives - Congressman Celso Lobregat and Congresswoman Lilia Nuño - during the site inspection of the housing and the support utilities.

The rehabilitation and resettlement projects in the four villages of Mariki, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, and Sta. Catalina are expected to bring back more than 30,000 people to settle in more than 7,100 housing units that will be built on site under the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) plan.

Singson added that the implementation of the projects will not suffer similar fate of the Tacloban project where materials used were alleged to be substandard.

“We check the quality to ensure that the materials are not substandard,” Singson said.

Nuño appealed to the village leaders of the four devastated barangays to be vigilant and closely monitor the materials used in the construction of the housing units that the winning bidders in the projects have reportedly sub-contracted to other contractors.

“We have to be vigilant against these people who would like to take advantage at the expense of the IDPs (internally displaced people),” Nuño said.

Singson said Tacloban was a different situation as materials were not available when bunk houses and housing units were being constructed.

“Until now there is still problem in the quality of the available materials (in Tacloban),” said Singson.

The DPWH chief said President Aquino is concerned  about the continued stay of the evacuees in the evacuation camps for nearly a year now since the bloody standoff.

Singson said they are expecting that by October all the evacuees will be relocated to the transitory site in time for their resettlement.

He said they  are expediting the implementation of the support utilities such as drainage systems, roads and, board walk in time for the construction of the housing units and houses on stilts.

Singson said the initial housing units, more than 40, as announced by President Aquino in his State of the National Adress (SONA) at the Martha drive in Sta. Catalina will be completed on Aug. 21.

"If there is a delay, it’s just a matter of few days. I think it’s not bad if we missed by a few days,” Singson said.