ORMOC CITY- Mayor Richard Gomez of this city has called for the resignation of National Housing Authority (NHA) general manager Marcelino Escalada amid his allegation that the housing agency is using substandard materials in a housing project intended for quake survivors of his city.
Gomez made this challenge to Escalada days after the NHA administrator said that they are mulling of filing charges against the Ormoc city mayor.
Earlier, the actor-turned-city mayor was seen in a video that went viral showing him complaining that the quality of the hollow blocks used in a resettlement site in Barangay Gaas were substandard as they could easily be broken.
This claim of Gomez put their agency in a ‘bad light,’ Escalada said as they maintained that the hollow blocks used passed the quality standard test.
“Problema ng NHA general manager, tingin ko, salita lang siya ng salita kasi di pa siya pumunta sa site. Salita ka ng salita, di mag-resign ka. Hindi pwede na housing agency head ka, tapos di mo nakikita ang proyekto sa napakaraming housing (projects ng NHA).Maraming maaaksidente pag-ganyan ang ugali mo,” Gomez said on Thursday(Oct.4) night in the sidelines of a press conference of the holding of the National Teachers’ Day in Ormoc City.
“Bantayan mo yung mga contactors mo. Bantayan mo yung mga tao mo sa mga probinsiya na gumagawa ng mga projects sa NHA. Do not get mad at me kasi pareho tayong nasa gobyerno,” he added.
Gomez said that he would welcome the plan of the NHA of suing for defamation saying that he was only after the interest of his people why he came out to say that the quality of the hollow blocks used were of low quality.
“Do not shoot the messenger. Shoot the contractor. Pinoprotektuhan ko ang mga buhay ng mga tao. Safety is my primary concern. If they cannot do that, di tayo magkakasundo,” he said.
“It is my moral duty as mayor of Ormoc to make sure na tama ang ginagamit na mga materyales sa mga proyekto dito sa Ormoc,” Gomez added.
Gomez said that he already brought his concern to Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino during his meeting with him on Tuesday(Oct.2).
The Ormoc city mayor also hope that President Rodrigo Duterte will intervene on this issue.
“Huwag kayong magagalit sa amin kung nilalabanan namin ay korupsiyon,” he said, addressing Escalada.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
