NHA urged help in making Yolanda projects possible

BRAND NEW. Used to living in danger zones, 128 households have settled in the Yolanda Village in barangay La Paz, Bogo. 200 more houses are to rise soon at the relocation site. (CDN PHOTO/ TONEE DESPOJO)

CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III is encouraging the National Housing Authority to fast track their housing projects for Super Typhoon Yolanda victims.

Davide made the call since three years has passed and the resettlement projects had yet to be implemented.

He also encouraged the NHA to help in requesting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Commission on Audit (COA) to lift requirements to implement the housing projects.

“Ang NHA sad pud unta maningkamot nga mohangyo sa DENR, COA. Kay ila man ang project sab gyud dapat ipadayon nila (The NHA should also asked DENR, COA. Because it’s their project and they should implement it),” Davide said.

Davide said he was hoping that the requirements would be lifted so that the victims especially in northern Cebu will be given the housing project.

Based on the reports of National Economic Development Authority (Neda) 7, out of 31 resettlement projects of NHA for Central Visayas, only four projects were started and none of these projects been completed yet.

Neda-7 Director Efren Carreon earlier said that the lack of land titles in areas, specifically in Camotes Island and Bantayan Island where NHA planned to build the resettlement projects, was seen as a major hurdle in implementing the projects.

He said that NHA can only build houses on title or donated lots. The resettlement projects of NHA cost P6.57 billion and most of the projects are for northern Cebu.

In the case of Camotes and Bantayan, only few lots in both islands have titles because they are classified as a protected wildlife area under Presidential Proclamation 2151.