Quakes open cans of worms
Credit to Author: Catherine S. Valente, TMT| Date: Tue, 05 Nov 2019 16:18:27 +0000
Toppled buildings were substandard – PACC
The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is studying the filing of economic sabotage charges against government officials and contractors responsible for the construction of substandard buildings and infrastructure projects that collapsed during a series of strong earthquakes in Mindanao.
PACC Chairman Dante Jimenez said the commission had started a fact-finding investigation over complaints about the structural integrity of buildings destroyed by the recent earthquakes.
“Yes, we have an ongoing fact-finding investigation. Commissioner Manuelito Luna is in charge in Mindanao. Papunta siya doon (He will go there) anytime with his team to look into it,” Jimenez told The Manila Times in a phone interview.
“We have been receiving a lot of complaints coming from Mindanao, those quake-stricken areas. So, kino-consolidate ng mga imbestigador namin ngayon (Our investigators are consolidating them now),” he added.
Jimenez said some of the structures that collapsed showed evidence of “corruption” such as the use of bamboo slats to hold together cement hollow blocks as substitute for iron or steel bars, among others.
He also cited a report showing that public school buildings were not compliant with safety standards and structural integrity.
A video clip played on national television showed that the stairway of a school budding that collapsed was purely made of concrete since no iron bars could be seen jutting out from the rubble.
“Kaya marami ‘yang mga tatamaan at papa-file-an namin and very soon we’ll also be coordinating with the Ombudsman kung pwede i-fast-track naman ninyo. ‘Pag natapos na namin ‘yung investigations namin, madadalian na siguro, meron Ombudsman from Mindanao. Eh diyan nagkakaroon ng sinasabi ko ‘yung (A lot of people will be charged and soon we will be coordinating with the Ombudsman if it is possible to fast-track the investigation. Once we’re done with our investigation, it will be faster, there’s an
Ombudsman from Mindanao. There must have been) connivance of government officials from three branches of government, or in cahoots with private contractors,” Jimenez said.
“That’s anti-graft. ‘Tsaka baka pwede naming pag-aaralan din ‘yung economic sabotage. Mas mabigat ‘yun (We’re also looking at the possible filing of economic sabotage. That’s a big case). All of these things are possible depending on our findings,” he added.
This, according to Jimenez, was also the reason why President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the immediate inspection of all buildings in areas affected by the earthquakes.
“I have committed to the President to really ensure that these projects of his administration will be spared from corruption. That’s why I am directing the commission, pag-aralan nyo ‘yung filing of economic sabotage para lahat ‘yan makulong (determine if economic sabotage charges can be filed so that they will all pay),” he added.
Powerful quakes shook Mindanao last month: a magnitude 6.3 on October 16, magnitude 6.6 on October 29, and magnitude 6.5 on October 31.
The quakes affected large parts of the region, with each shaking weakening structures until several buildings collapsed in the latest temblor.
For now, Jimenez bared that the commission would let the relief efforts in quake-hit areas continue before they would proceed with their investigation.
“Papasok kami diyan pag natapos na ‘yun. Ayaw naman namin makipagsawsaw sa problema ngayon dahil maraming mga na-displace at ang daming mga nasira (After the rehabilitation, we will proceed with our investigation. We don’t want to interfere now because so many people were displaced and many properties were damaged),” the PACC official said.
“But we’re doing already the gathering of information regarding these projects, lalo na ang public projects using public funds (especially those projects using public funds). So that very soon, we will recommend to the President the filing of criminal and administrative complaints [before the] Ombudsman,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jimenez appealed to all government officials “to spare our construction and infrastructure industry from all forms of corruption.”
“People’s lives are put to risk when building owners and builders use substandard materials or practice non-compliance just to line their already fat pockets,” he said.
Jimenez made the appeal after the PACC concluded its investigation of the Yolanda housing project controversy.
On October 9, the PACC recommended to the President the filing of criminal and administrative charges against 12 officials of the National Housing Authority before the Office of the Ombudsman after unearthing anomalies in the multimillion-peso housing program in Eastern Samar province.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg, and more housing projects anomalies will be uncovered. We may need the cooperation of those affected parties to file these complaints,” Jimenez said.
“The PACC will continuously receive complaints from the people of Region 8 and other provinces affected by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013, until it reaches the brains of this Yolanda housing scandal,” he added. Region 8 pertains to Eastern Visayas.