Suspension on Lustre housing project lifted, NHA, workers to comply with requirements

ZAMBOANGA CITY (ZNS) -  Work will resume in houses subject to questions on their suitability or stability and where work were ordered suspenfed last week.

The suspension in the construction of houses under the Z3R project in Lustre, Sta. Catalina has been lifted effective 1pm Wednesday, November 19, as the National Housing Authority (NHA) has committed to comply with the recommendations of the City Government.

Mayor Beng Climaco said the recommendations were results of the joint inspections done by the City Engineer’s Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Office of the City Planning and Development Coordinator, NHA, the BillRay Construction Company and the Sta. Catalina barangay chair after it was discovered that the materials used in the construction of some Lustre Housing units were not within standards.

Foremost in the city’s recommendations are for the contractor through NHA to comply with the requirements for the issuance of appropriate permits for the project implementation and to retrofit the 51 units of houses based on the proposal made by the contractor on the condition that said contractor will submit an affidavit of undertaking that in the event there is a failure in retrofitting, he will be solely responsible for it.

The contractor through the NHA is also to reconstruct the housing units that were demolished to include those that were identified as beyond repair, appropriate plasterings to be done on the CHB walls to include field density testing on the soil bearing capacity, compliance to appropriate construction methods and section 705 national Structural Code of the Philippines series of 2010, soil compaction of the housing area and that construction materials used be of good quality and sourced from accredited suppliers.

Mayor Climaco met with NHA District Manager Engr. Al Indanan, CDRRMO in-charge Dr. Elmeir Apolinario and City Engineer Luis Despalo yesterday morning to discuss details prior to the lifting of the suspension order.

Recall that Mayor Climaco on November 2 has ordered the stop and review of the housing units in Lustre after she personally discovered the use of substandard construction materials. The subsequent suspension order was issued by the NHA, the implementing agency.

The chief executive assured that the local government will do everything it can to ensure compliance of all engineering standards for the best interest of the beneficiaries citing provisions in the Local Government code and the General Welfare Act.  ‘We cannot sacrifice quality with quantity.’

Engr. Indanan said except for the Lustre Z3R housing project, the other housing projects will be completed within the time frame set by the national government. (Sheila Covarrubias)

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