THE chairperson of the House of Representatives’ committee on housing and urban development on Wednesday urged the government to ban contractors responsible for the substandard housing projects for “Yolanda” victims from future government housing projects like the rehabilitation program for strife-torn Marawi City.
At the same time, Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez, the panel chairperson, said Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officials and the Marawi City local government must closely monitor the construction of housing projects for victims of the Marawi siege.
ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman earlier lamented the P5 billion to be spent for Marawi City had been initially earmarked for “Yolanda” rehabilitation but remained idle despite availability.
Benitez welcomed the reported decision of the Duterte administration to realign some P5 billion in unused “Yolanda” funds intended for the rehabilitation efforts for Marawi.
“It has become our responsibility to make sure that our brothers in Marawi City are allowed to recover much of what they lost from the Mautes by protecting them from other acts of terrorism committed through graft and greed,” Benitez said.
He said “the fund may be put to good use in Marawi during the time that financing of big-ticket items in the Yolanda rehabilitation program have been assured.”
But Benitez said the government must be able to provide the needed funds in the event the “Yolanda” rehabilitation projects had gone in full swing.
Benitez’s panel, with the House committee on good government and public accountability, earlier vowed to recommend the filing of perjury, syndicated estafa and plunder charges against those responsible for the substandard “Yolanda” housing projects.