Iloilo provincial board cannot take legal action vs Yolanda housing project

THE ILOILO provincial board, or Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), cannot take legal action on the alleged substandard housing units built for super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) victims in Concepcion town, but it is planning to submit its report to the Senate where there is an ongoing inquiry on National Housing Authority (NHA) projects. Board Member Renee L. Valencia said last week that the Provincial Legal Office has given advice that the provincial government cannot file charges because it is not a direct party to the contract. “The real parties on the contract are the NHA and the contractor. So if we look at it, there is an indirect participation of the local government as well as the SP. We are just here because we are on the lookout as to the welfare of the beneficiaries,” Ms. Valencia said. The board concluded its hearings on the issue last week, but the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will still conduct a non-destructive test (NDT) to determine the structural integrity of the NHA project with Hercar Builders as the contractor. Jeylourd P. Riofrir, Engineer II of the DPWH-6 Maintenance Division, said an NDT apparatus is like a rebound hammer that would be used to determine the actual strength of the concrete. “It is a counterchecking whether their works passed the standard specifications,” Mr. Riofrir told the media during the SP hearing last June 21. —