Senator Robinhood "Robin" Padilla strongly urged the leadership of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to run after those behind 'substandard' public schools and Infrastructure after showing the sorry state of a school in Gapan, Nueva Ecija that had been affected by super typhoon ‘’Karding.’’

During a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 13 on the DPWH's proposed 2023 budget by the Senate Fiinance Sub-Committee A chaired by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, Padilla showed photos of a public school in Gapan that was heavily damaged in the aftermath of typhoon ‘’Karding’’ last September.

Padilla noted that nearby houses were not as affected by the typhoon.

"Wala po ba tayong paraan para alamin kung ang material po nito ay substandard? (Do we have any way to know if the materials used were substandard?) Napaka-imposible na ang bahay sa paligid niya na walang architect o engineer ay ayos. Pero dito lahat na talino nandoon dapat, ang galing, tingnan nyo ang itsura. Yan ang tanong ko. Walang nag-checkup nito kung ito po ba ay substandard (It is impossible that nearby houses were not as affected as the school, which was supposed to have been designed by the best. Is there anyone checking them)?" he asked.

"Tingnan nyo ang paaralan, ang bubong. Parang hinipan ni Superman. Nawala lahat (Look at the school's roof, it's as if Superman blew it off - it's gone)," he added.

When DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said that the public projects have a one-year warranty where erring contractors might be blacklisted, Padilla jokingly asked: "Kung may mangyaring anomaly pwede silang sampal-sampalin (If we find anomalies, can we slap the wrongdoers in the face)?”

For his part, Bonoan agreed such cases must be investigated because it is baffling that only one school was destroyed in the area. "We cannot tolerate, di natin pababayaan po na substandard ang ginagamit (We cannot tolerate the use of substandard materials)," he said.

Also, Padilla noted the DPWH's core functions include ensuring the safety of public infrastructures as the government's engineering and construction arm.

"Papaano kung may naaksidente diyan? Paano po kung may namatay diyan, nabagsakan, naikutan ng bakal (What happens if there is an accident and someone dies because a portion of the structure collapsed)?" he said.

For his part, Senator Francis Tolentino noted the Gapan school might not be an isolated case as he saw many damaged infrastructures in General Tinio and San Leonardo in Nueva Ecija a week after the typhoon hit. He advised the DPWH to inspect these areas.

Padilla first brought up the issue of substandard materials at a hearing last September, where Ombudsman Samuel Martires said he received information about the use of substandard materials.

Bonoan said the DPWH would follow "designs and standards" in implementing projects under his watch.

On the other hand, Padilla stressed the need for high-quality infrastructure, noting that good roads mean good transportation and would contribute to economic growth.

"Muli ko aasahan iimbestigahan nyo ang nangyari sa Nueva Ecija (I trust you will investigate what happened in Nueva Ecija)," he said.