Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep. Dale Corvera. (Photo grabbed from House of Representative Website)
BUTUAN CITY – Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep. Dale Corvera filed House Bill No. 9628 on Tuesday seeking an automatic price freeze on construction materials in areas placed under a state of calamity due to natural disasters.
“Construction materials are needed during rehabilitation and repairs from damages due to calamities and similar events,” Corvera said in a statement on Wednesday.
The measure also seeks to discourage unscrupulous businessmen from taking advantage of the situation in areas affected by natural calamities, he said.
“Prices of construction materials usually surge during these difficult times as their demands increase,” Corvera said, recalling the threefold increase in construction material prices after Typhoon Odette devastated most areas in the Caraga Region in December 2021.
“Those who survived the calamity could not move on to repair their dwellings as they could not find affordable construction materials, thereby adding to their agonies and trauma,” the lawmaker said.
Typhoons and other natural disasters, he noted, are common occurrences in the country, and freezing the prices of construction materials in the affected areas can significantly help in the recovery and rebuilding process. (PNA)
