House Committee on Housing and Urban Development chair Alfredo Benitez said there is a possibility that houses allotted by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for Zamboanga siege victims may collapse as these are built using the same materials used for a wooden footbridge that fell last week.
In an interview, Benitez said the housing units on stilts costed Php20,000 less than the normal housing units built on concrete.
“Ordinarily, yung isang housing unit na tinatayo ng NHA sa lupa na semento umaabot ng P240,000 per unit. Dito sa house on stilts na ininspection natin, ang cost niya ay P220,000. Mas mura lang nang P20,000,” he told GMA News.
Benitez added that the housing units were made of the same materials as the wooden footbridge that collapsed as he, Zamboanga City Representative Celso Lobregat, Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar, and several other officials were walking on it.
The footbridge, which costs Php12-million, has been rehabilitated since the incident.
The housing units on stilts in Barangay Rio Hondo were intended for Badjao communities who build their houses along seawalls due to tradition.
Benitez said he will investigate the matter when the committee resumes session.
“Pagbalik na pagbalik, naghihintay na lang ako ng bakanteng kwarto sa Congress,” Benitez said.
