THE Senate, through its committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement, is recommending the filing of formal charges against the people involved in building substandard houses for calamity victims across the country.

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, who chairs the committee, said they have already finished the conduct of the inquiry involving the issue of substandard house units that were built through the supervision of government housing agencies.

Ejercito said these houses were built for the victims of typhoons Yolanda and Pablo as well as for the victims of the 2013 Zamboanga siege.

He said the respondents to the cases that will be filed will include officials of the previous administration, National Housing Authority officials and the developers.

The Senate has conducted an investigation following complaints from the beneficiaries of the projects that the housing units they received were of substandard quality.

Ejercito said they have also investigated other irregularities, slow implementation of the projects and lack of basic facilities in the housing projects aside from sub-standard quality.

The senator was here as he graced the activities of the 117th Labor Day celebration at the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority at Sitio San Ramon in the village of Talisayan, this city.

Ejercito, a member of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, is seeking re-election for a second term in the Senate. (SunStar Philippines)