Cebu towns with identified relocation sites to receive aid first
Towns in northern Cebu that were hard hit by supertyphoon Yolanda should find relocation sites for displaced families.
Regional Director Gavino Figuracion of the National Housing Authority said they will allocate funds for land development and housing construction to towns with identified relocation sites.
Only Bogo City, San Remigio, Tabuelan, Daanbantayan, and Medellin towns began processing their relocation sites. Bogo City identified a 6.6 hectare property while San Remigio town set aside a 2.7-hectare property,
Tabuelan allocated three hectares for a relocation site while Daanbantayan reserved a .5-hectare property and Medellin is still processing its acquisition of property.
“They already purchased and owned a property so they become a priority of the NHA right now,” Figuracion said during the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Hotel in Lahug.
He said they are finalizing documents for the planning and design so the housing project will be bidded out to a contractor. Figuracion said it would take one month to process funds to develop a three-hectare relocation property like that in Tabuelan.
The NHA has P15 billion to build 60,000 housing units for Yolanda-displaced families in the Visayas from 2014 to 2016. Figuracion said they target 8,548 houses to be built in northern Cebu. But the Department of Budget and Management only released P2.2 billion.
“Since the budget is lower than P15 billion the allocation of funds will be done on a first come-first serve basis for the local government units,” Figuracion said.
For Bantayan and Camotes where lands are not alienable and diposable, they will receive housing materials paid for by the calamity funds of Rep Benhur Salimbangon and Rep. Ace Durano of Cebu’s 4th and 5th districts respectively.
Salimbangon allocated P50 million worth of housing materials for 2,119 families in Madridejos, 3,000 families in Bantayan town and 1,000 families in Sta. Fe town.
The entire 14,183 hectare area in Bantayan island was declared a “wilderness area” based on a presidential decree and thus couldn’t be sold. The Camotes group of islands was also declared a “mangroves forest reserve”.
Durano’s P3 million calamity fund was also used for housing materials in Camotes Island.
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