DAVAO CITY – A homeowners association has asked a local government unit to investigate alleged defects in the housing units intended for victims of Typhoon Pablo (International Name: Bopha).
Jospehine Ata, president of the San Antonio Homeowners Association Inc. in Barangay Maparat in the Pablo-torn town of Compostela in Compostela Valley province, said 76 of their houses “are problematic.”
“We went block-by-block to see the houses of our members, the house of one of our member sway (nagatuya-tuya),” said Ata in an interview at the sidelines of a ceremonial turnover of 300 units of houses in Compostela Wednesday.
Ata showed their photos and documentation to Davao Today showing cracks on the walls and floorings, and what seemed to be bloated door jams, and poorly installed roof beams of the housing units.
Ata showed Davao Today a May 11 letter signed by Compostela Mayor Lema P. Bolo addressed to Virgilio G. Tape, chief executive officer of project contractor Verlin Konstruct, Inc.
In the letter, Bolo said they sent Tape a “consolidated inspection report of the joint inspection conducted last March 5, 2015 by the NHA (National Housing Association)”, the provincial government and the municipal government.”
“(A) total of 76 houses under Phase 1 require certification of all errors as stated hereto,” said Bolo.
Bolo said “said rectification shall be made not later than March 21, 2015 to finally schedule the transfer of our tent-city residents.”
Attached to Bolo’s letter was the list of 76 houses with pending repairs from as simple as “door knob repair”, “repair of switch light” to as serious as “lacking main door” and installation of “wall bracing support”.
But Ata alleged that all the items on the same list “was marked with OK even if they have not been actually repaired.”
Ata said they are “not in a hurry to transfer to the housing units from our bunkhouses.”
“We have been staying in the bunkhouses for two years even if it was only meant for six months,” she said.
She said that the bunkhouses were flooded four times already “but were not torn to pieces and our only problem is when septic tanks overflow.”
Ata said that a “raffle” was made by the NHA November 13 last year and a “mass turnover” was also done November 25 also last year to 300 units.
“I was surprised they announced 300 while many units are not yet done for Batch 1. But they said it was only done because Almendras (NHA Secretary Jose Almendras) will come over for the turnover simultaneous with Laak, Monkayo, Montevista, Compestela and New Bataan (tows of Compostela Valle)y,” she said.
Ata also said she was advised by the project’s engineer to write a letter to Compostela Governor Arturo Uy regarding her complaints.
“I told him that they should be the ones to tell the governor as they also know that the projects has defects,” she said.
Ata said “we are willing to give them time for the repairs and not to rush us (to transfer from our bunkhouses).”
In a news release, the NHA said “a total of 17,030 housing units are in various stages of development, 6,000 of which are completed but undergoing documentation process and 3,505 are ready for occupancy and for turn-over according to the Provincial Government of Davao-Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC).”
“Implemented under the Rehabilitation Program of NHA, the house and lot package is worth Php 220,000.00 duplextype completed housing, in a 60 square meter lot,” said the release. (with reports from Ace R. Morandante)
