By Hirohito D. Cadion
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga
del Sur, Feb. 14 (PNA) -- Works on the P360-million housing project for
soldiers and policemen in this city have been suspended as the sub-contractors
have filed complaints of alleged malpractices and non-payments against the
developer before the office of Vice President Jejomar Binay, the housing czar.
A copy of the
complaint was also furnished to the National Housing Authority (NHA) General
Manager Chito Cruz and NHA Department Manager Rosemarie Sioting since the
affected housing projects are funded by the agency.
Vicenzo Cagampang,
spokesman of the 14 sub-contractors, said Friday they decided to file the
complaint since the Laurasia Realty Corporation, the project developer, has
been remiss in its obligation to pay them for the works they accomplished.
The Laurasia Realty
Corporation is the developer of the P360-million NHA housing projects for the
soldiers and police in Barangay Bogo, this city.
“We were hired by the
project manager and administrator of the company because we were made to understand
that they are running out of time to finish the 1,500 housing units in barely
two months,” Cagampang said.
He added that they
were promised to be paid on time “but sad to say they were only good up to the
second billing.”
He narrated said they
have waited in vain the whole day at a local bank for the company to make
on-line deposit to “our bank accounts” for the third billing and even requested
to somehow accommodate them to withdraw beyond banking hours because the next
day was Saturday and it was a payday for the workers.
“To our disgust, we
waited in vain and went home with discouragement. We were so worried on how we
could face our hundreds of workers and make them understand why we cannot give
their entire salaries,” he added.
He said the same
situation of delayed payments dragged on for several weeks and some of them
were not even paid to date.
“We cannot understand
why some us were paid only little percentage of (20 percent, 30 percent and 50
percent) of the amount we billed while the others did not receive even a single
centavo up to the present,” he added.
He said the worse
thing is that they were allegedly told by the developer not to follow the
agreed specifications of materials instead to follow the new design “introduced
to us.”
Those who are not
following the order were not provided with construction materials, the reason
they decided to stop implementing the projects and filed complain, according to
Cagampang.
The local management
of Laurasia headed by Art Ruaza refused to answer the accusations of the
sub-contractors, saying he just assumed in the position recently to lead the
implementation of the project.
Aside from that,
Ruaza said he was informed by the national management not to answer anything
concerning the issue.
Meanwhile, Cagampang,
on behalf of the sub-contractors, suggested to NHA to employ the services of
the local construction firms should there be housing projects to be implemented
in the future in the provinces. (PNA)
LAP/TPGJR/HIROHITO D. CADION/EBP
LAP/TPGJR/HIROHITO D. CADION/EBP
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