Construction woes turn Naga’s P50-M evacuation center into a hazardous place

MANILA, Philippines – With leaky toilets, slippery floors, and a roofing situation that would make even a jeepney’s patched-up roof proud, a P50-million evacuation facility in Naga City seems more like a comedy of errors than a safe haven.

In what was supposed to be a facility for refuge during disasters, Naga’s Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) is getting attention for all the wrong reasons as it seems like a real disaster is trying to take shelter there.

The MPEC, built with a grant from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), is facing serious construction issues, compromising its functionality as a shelter for calamity victims, according to the Commission of Audit (COA).

An inspection conducted on February 22 revealed troubling deficiencies in the facility, showed a COA report released on April 29. 

The MPEC was found to suffer from leaky toilet plumbing and defective roofing, resulting in foul odors, damp floors, and water seepage throughout the building. 

State auditors said the problems extend to broken restroom doors, lavatories, and cracked walls, rendering portions of the facility unusable. Auditors also noted low-quality floor tiles which pose safety risks.

The COA stated in its report: “The comfort rooms on the second floor of the building have leaks from the embedded plumbing and sanitation lines. This leakage had caused stains in the ceilings of the ground floor and dispersed foul odor.”

Auditors pointed at “defects in the roof/gutter at the main staircase” which caused seepage and flooding in the facility’s lobby. They said the problem even extended to the sleeping area on the second floor of the MPEC.

The COA said such defects render the evacuation center unsafe for occupancy, defeating the facility’s purpose of providing secure shelter to people during calamities. 

During the audit, the COA said the officer-in-charge of the facility claimed that the defects were not found during the joint inspection conducted by city government personnel and Pagcor in December 2022. Back then, the contractor’s only task was to address the issue of exposed ceiling lamps, the “camp manager” was quoted as telling auditors.

The city government of Naga, according to COA, has been having problems with a reluctant contractor following the issuance of a certificate of completion and project turnover on October 13, 2022.

The COA report showed that the city government insisted on a technical conference to address the deficiencies and initiate necessary repairs. The Naga City Engineering Office, however, said the contractor was uncooperative despite being notified of the structural issues within the one-year warranty period. 

According to the COA, the local government has promised to do better in addressing the concerns. –Rappler.com