Robin sa DPWH: Habulin ang nasa Likod ng 'Substandard' na Pampublikong Paaralan at Imprastraktura

Alamin ang mga pampublikong paaralan at imprastraktura na substandard ang gawa, at habulin ang mga nasa likod nito.

Ito ang panawagan ni Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla ngayong Huwebes sa pamunuan ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), matapos niyang ipakita ang kalagayan ng isang paaralan sa Gapan sa Nueva Ecija.

Pinakita ni Padilla sa pagdinig ng Senado sa 2023 budget ng DPWH ang mga larawan isang paaralan sa Gapan, na gutay-gutay matapos dumaan ang Typhoon Karding noong Setyembre - samantalang ang ilang bahay at istraktura na katabi nito ay maayos pa.

"Wala po ba tayong paraan para alamin kung ang material po nito ay substandard? Napaka-imposible na ang bahay sa paligid niya na walang architect o engineer ay ayos. Pero dito lahat na talino nandoon dapat, ang galing, tingnan nyo ang itsura. Yan ang tanong ko. Walang nag-checkup nito kung ito po ba ay substandard?" aniya.

"Tingnan nyo ang paaralan, ang bubong. Parang hinipan ni Superman. Nawala lahat," dagdag ng mambabatas.

Nang nalaman niya kay DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan na ang mga ginawa ng contractor ay may isang taong warranty kung saan maaaring ma-blacklist sila kung palpak ang proyekto, pabirong tanong ni Padilla: "Kung may mangyaring anomalya, pwede silang sampal-sampalin?"

Ayon naman kay Bonoan, dapat maimbestigahan ito dahil "kataka-taka" na ito ang nag-iisa ang nasira sa lugar. "We cannot tolerate, di natin pababayaan po na substandard ang ginagamit," aniya.

Iginiit ni Padilla na kasama sa core function ng DPWH ay ang pagtiyak ng kaligtasan ng imprastraktura bilang engineering and construction arm ng pamahalaan. (https://www.dpwh.gov.ph/DPWH/content/about-dpwh)

"Papaano kung may naaksidente diyan? Paano po kung may namatay diyan, nabagsakan, naikutan ng bakal?" aniya.

Dagdag ni Sen. Francis Tolentino na maaaring hindi isolated case ang paaralan dahil may nadaanan din siyang nasirang imprastraktura sa Gen. Tinio at San Leonardo sa Nueva Ecija isang linggo pagkatapos dumaan ang bagyo. Pinayuhan niya ang DPWH na inspeksyunan din ang mga nabanggit na lugar.

Ayon naman kay Sen. JV Ejercito, "alon-alon" ang bahagi ng bagong kongkretong access road sa Dasmarinas, Cavite kung kaya't nahilo siya nang dumaan siya rito habang naka-motorsiklo.

Unang nabanggit ni Padilla ang isyu ng substandard material sa isang pagdinig noong Setyembre, kung saan ibinunyag ni Ombudsman Samuel Martires na nakatanggap siya ng impormasyon tungkol sa paggamit ng substandard ng gamit. Tiniyak ni Bonoan na susunod sa "designs and standards" ang proyektong ipapatupad sa kanyang pamumuno.

Ipinunto ni Padilla ang kahalagahan ng magandang kalidad ng imprastraktura dahil kung maganda ang daan, gaganda ang transportasyon at ekonomiya. "Muli ko aasahan iimbestigahan nyo ang nangyari sa Nueva Ecija," aniya.

Robin to DPWH: Run After Those Behind 'Substandard' Public Schools and Infrastructure

Go after those behind substandard public schools and infrastructure.

This was the call of Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla on Thursday to the leadership of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), after showing the sorry state of a school in Nueva Ecija affected by a recent typhoon.

At the Senate hearing on the DPWH's budget for 2023, Padilla showed photos of a public school in Gapan, which was heavily damaged in the aftermath of Typhoon Karding last September. Padilla noted that nearby houses were not as affected by the typhoon.

"Wala po ba tayong paraan para alamin kung ang material po nito ay substandard? Napaka-imposible na ang bahay sa paligid niya na walang architect o engineer ay ayos. Pero dito lahat na talino nandoon dapat, ang galing, tingnan nyo ang itsura. Yan ang tanong ko. Walang nag-checkup nito kung ito po ba ay substandard (Do we have any way to know if the materials used were substandard? It is impossible that nearby houses were not as affected as the school, which was supposed to have been designed by the best. Is there anyone checking them)?" he asked.

"Tingnan nyo ang paaralan, ang bubong. Parang hinipan ni Superman. Nawala lahat (Look at the school's roof, it's as if Superman blew it off - it's gone)," he added.

When DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan said that the public projects have a one-year warranty where erring contractors may be blacklisted, Padilla jokingly asked: "Kung may mangyaring anomaly pwede silang sampal-sampalin (If we find anomalies, can we slap the wrongdoers)?"

For his part, Bonoan agreed such cases must be investigated because it is baffling that only one school was destroyed in the area. "We cannot tolerate, di natin pababayaan po na substandard ang ginagamit (We cannot tolerate the use of substandard materials)," he said.

Also, Padilla noted the DPWH's core functions include ensuring the safety of public infrastructures as the government's engineering and construction arm. (https://www.dpwh.gov.ph/DPWH/content/about-dpwh)

"Papaano kung may naaksidente diyan? Paano po kung may namatay diyan, nabagsakan, naikutan ng bakal (What happens if there is an accident and someone dies because a portion of the structure collapsed)?" he said.

For his part, Sen. Francis Tolentino noted the Gapan school may not be an isolated case as he saw many damaged infrastructures in Gen. Tinio and San Leonardo in Nueva Ecija a week after the typhoon hit. He advised the DPWH to inspect these areas.

Sen. JV Ejercito added he got dizzy while riding a motorcycle along a portion of a newly concreted access road in Dasmarinas, Cavite because it felt like "alon-alon (like a wave)."

Padilla first brought up the issue of substandard materials at a hearing last September, where Ombudsman Samuel Martires said he received information about the use of substandard materials. Bonoan said the DPWH will follow "designs and standards" in implementing projects under his watch.

On the other hand, Padilla stressed the need for high-quality infrastructure, noting that good roads mean good transportation and will contribute to economic growth. "Muli ko aasahan iimbestigahan nyo ang nangyari sa Nueva Ecija (I trust you will investigate what happened in Nueva Ecija)," he said.

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Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xeN8d0zfpU