Drilon defends construction of bunkhouses in Leyte

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Franklin Drilon yesterday defended the bunkhouses constructed in Tacloban City in Leyte and in other areas of the province, which some international groups criticized for being substandard.

“To fault government on these standards is misplaced. We build bunkhouses to save lives. I would reject any proposition that this is inhuman,” Drilon said during the Senate committee hearing chaired by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Drilon said what is inhuman is leaving people on the streets of Tacloban.

He said the government should not be blamed for its limitations since it is doing its best to address the concerns of the typhoon victims.

He said Yolanda victims would be better off in bunkhouses considered below international standards, rather than leave them along the sidewalks with no roof over their heads.

“These are ideal standards that are being proposed, given the need to save lives. I would like to think that the better part of discretion and policy would be to do and live with what is available to save lives,” Drilon said.

The senator criticized some international groups for trying to impose international standards without considering the condition on the ground, noting that they were not the ones spending for the bunkhouses.

Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on public works, which is probing the alleged substandard and overpriced bunkhouses, said tents do not have stagnant water, bare wiring and the places they were located do not have potential for diseases that these areas do (referring to bunkhouses).

“Although a sheet of plywood is better than a fabric tent, but as a temporary bunkhouse which is supposed to last for a year or two, this does not seem to be sufficient,” he said.

Marcos, who personally inspected the sites, pointed to some areas as fire hazard due to exposed wiring and proximity of the bunkhouses to each other.

He said the problem lies in the failure to follow the specifications set by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Marcos said the common alibi was the non-availability of materials in the affected areas and the difficulty in hiring skilled people for the job.

Architect Felino Palafox Jr., president of the Philippine Institute of Environment Planners, said the bunkhouses should meet “human dignity condition.” – With Rainer Allan Ronda, Ricky Bautista, Michelle Zoleta