MANILA, Philippines (May 7) —- Five top officials of the National Housing Authority (NHA) may face suspension while the agency issued show cause order to 53 contractors with notice of termination involving 33 projects, involving eight contractors in various areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“After we conducted series of project inspection and validated all the independent and in-house investigation, officials who were found remiss of their job will be subjected to suspension pending the formal filing of charges against them. They should be made accountable to all the failures in during the project implementation which caused miseries to the housing beneficiaries, ” Marcelino P. Escalada Jr., NHA General manager said.
Escalada identified 22 housing projects and contracts were deemed terminated for various contract violation which contributed delays.
The contractors who did not follow the program of work which resulted to the production of substandard housing units and whose projects were found “problematic”, Escalada said “They should be made liable because the project involved people who have been victims of calamities but instead of providing them relief in their shelter problem, their projects further complicated the situation. We issue a show cause order for them to justify why they should not be held liable and criminally charged,” he added.
“The project is done, yes! the issue is irreversible. The project was already implemented, completed and, occupied when I came in, but as an agency, we need to act on various complaints,” Escalada added.
The suspension pending investigation involving five NHA officials cannot be served as yet because the election ban for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections is still in effect, he emphasized.
After terminating the project of the contractors, the NHA will determine whether the contractor will be blacklisted and eventually be banned from getting contracts not only from the NHA but in all government agencies.
The NHA according to Escalada will coordinate with the local government units where the projects are situated and turn over to them the projects, including downloading of the remaining budget for a particular project.”
The NHA, according to Escalada is a housing agency involved in the production of mass housing, as its mandate, but the public should be aware that before the NHA starts any land development, it is the LGU who recommends for the location and the very basic requirement is complied with. The barangay is also expected to have issued a “Baragay Resolution Interposing No Objection on the project,” which means that it also knows their social responsibility in the completion of the project.
As to the land use, Escalada said the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment, Natural Resources and the Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board and the respective Municipal, Provincial or City Council has also issued a resolution approving the project plan before land development is introduced.
In developing a housing project, at least 34 agencies are involved in the process and the NHA will implement projects, after the condition and requirements are properly complied with.
All NHA housing projects implemented under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte administration will be properly identified as it carries the BALAI Filipino marker at the entrance of every project.
Escalada also called on the housing beneficiaries to immediate report to NHA HOTLINE 0932-2018-981, any concerns relative to the project of the agency. He also assured that the concerns will be properly addressed.
Here’s the list of the contractors issued with show cause order and the project terminated: F.J Tiu and Associates Construction and Development Corporation; RichmarK Construction; LSD Construction and Supplies; St. Gerard Construction Corporation; RoBig/Three W Builders Inc-JV; Hairey Constrcution/Three W Builders Inc.-JV; Eaglerock Construction and Development Corporation; J.C. Tayag Builders Inc.;
Projects deemed terminated include the Following: Linda Ville – Candoni, Negros Occidental; Catabalogan Resettlement Project, Catabalogan City, Samar; Capoyuan Home Site 1, Brgy. Capoyuan Barbaza, Antique; Villa Guinbanga-an Nuevo, Lauan Antique; Pastrana Ville, Brgy. Aringit, Pastrana Leyte; Montview, Brgy, Crossing San Isidro, Leyte; Mont Eage Ville IV Subd, Site 1, barangay Cangmoya, Palompon, Leyte; Las Casas Del Flor Phase I, 2, 3, and 4 bgrys. Anislag and Consolacion, Isabela Site 1 Leyte; Balangiga Town Ville Site 2, Brgy, Cansumangay, Balangiga, Eastern Samar; Hernani Town Ville I, 2 and 3, Brgy Nagaja Site 1, Hernani, Samar; Quinapondan Town Ville Site 1, 2 and 3, Barangay Buenavista, Quinapondan Easter Samar and Gen. Mac Arthur Town Ville, Brgy. Vigan, Gen Macarthur Eastern Samar.
The contractors mentioned are involve the mass housing projects for the survivors of typhoon Yolanda.
