Criminal act
Ted Failon’s special documentary, “Kalamidad sa Pabahay,” aired on ABSCBN exposed the anomalous state of housing projects undertaken by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for victims of natural calamities. In recent years, more than 1 million houses were damaged as a result of the calamities with the government responding by allocating P54 billion for the construction of dwellings for victims and refugees.
Failon’s team visited far-flung areas in order to listen to the voices of residents and to see the physical state not just of the houses constructed, but also of the communities where these are located. What words can we use to describe the action of the people behind the construction of the units? Horrific. Evil. Criminal.
The communities were mostly distant from the town centers. The dirt roads leading to the housing projects were in a state of disrepair, if not nearly impassable. Most of the dwellings were made of substandard materials and unsafe for occupancy. There were communities that lacked water and electricity. A number were located in dangerous sites, threatening the lives of dwellers.
What we see in the reality television series, “Survivor,” cannot compare with the difficulties that the residents encounter daily. Without economic opportunities around the community, they must find work in the poblacion, and commuting daily is costly and treacherous.
Asked if they would live in these communities, one of the managers of the NHA said that she would, if she had no other place to go. I cannot believe her. Some of the sites were unoccupied, for even those who’ve lost their houses must have found the dwellings indecent.
Nearly all of those sought to comment condemned the wrongdoing but washed their hands of any guilt. One of the NHA officials blamed their former bosses for commanding them to speed up the completion of the projects, but that is no excuse for the poor quality of the houses.
The usual suspects, the contractors, are made as scapegoats, and rightly so. But have there been criminal charges or blacklisting? The NHA officials could not give a definitive response. It is improbable that there is no connivance among the players in these projects. Despite all the safeguards placed in the laws, still shenanigans are able to go around these.
There always have been suspicion by donors on the efficiency of the government in ensuring that donations do not fall prey to dishonest individuals, and this expose by Failon substantiates the impression that corruption remains endemic in the Philippines.