MAYOR Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar clarified the role of the city government is limited to regulatory and coordination as the implementation of the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) housing projects are the national government through the National Housing Authority (NHA).
Salazar issued the clarification after allegation of corruption against the city government in the implementation of the housing projects due to alleged substandard materials.
The allegation surfaced after 15 people, including Salazar and two members of the House of Representatives as well as NHA officials, fell on April 26 into the sea after the wooden stilt-bridge they were passing collapsed.
The incident happened while they were on the way to inspect a Z3R housing project at Sitio Hong Kong in the village of Rio Hondo, this city.
Salazar said the city government regulates and coordinates with agencies concerned in the implementation of the Z3R housing project, and “we have no participation in the processing and awarding of contracts to the contractors.”
She said they have also documents to prove that the city government wanted an independent monitoring to be done on the housing units.
She said the city government has not also accepted any of the NHA projects under Z3R, although there were ceremonial turnovers “but nothing has been accepted due to pending regulatory compliance and payments for the projects.”
The beneficiaries of the Z3R housing projects are the families who were displaced during the 21-day September 2013 siege.