Thousands Still Without Homes in Yolanda Areas

TWO years after super-typhoon Yolanda devastated Eastern and Central Visayas in 2013, only 16,544 housing units out of 205,128 targeted for the typhoon victims – very much less than one-tenth – have been completed, the House of Representatives was informed at a hearing the other day.

The principal reason, the Pag ibig Loans said, was that less than half of the P61.2 billion earmarked for the undertaking had been released by the national government. The amount released was P26.9 billion, out of the total P61.2-billion budget for the project.

Funding was only part of the problem. The other part was delay caused by difficulties in purchasing land for the housing projects. This in turn was blamed on conflicting presidential directives on safety zones, unsafe zones, and no-dwelling zones, governing the sites for the projects.

The NHA officials said they hope to complete the 205,128 housing units by 2017, but Rep. Rodel Botocabe, chairman of the House Special Committee on Climate Change, said that at the rate the work is proceeding, that deadline won’t be met.

The Senate Committee on Planning, Housing, and Resettlement headed by Sen. JV Ejercito had also met to look into the issue. He said he understood the problems of the NHA, principally because of the funding. He appealed to the heads of the NHA and the other government agencies and officials involved in the typhoon rehabilitation program to consider the feelings of the survivors – for whom every day remains a struggle for survival – and to do everything possible to speed things up.

The Yolanda housing problem is actually only a small part of the overall housing shortage in the country where, according to the Chamber of Real Estate and Retailers Associations (CREBA), some 5.5 million families are still homeless. It expects the shortage to balloon to 6.5 million by 2030. But that calls for a separate undertaking that will take hundreds of billions of pesos and an extended period of time. The next administration can perhaps draw up a program for this.
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Today, we must concentrate on the more immediate need to help the victims of super-typhoon Yolanda. It has been two years since over 6,000 people were killed in that calamity and thousands of families lost their homes and their livelihood. The plans to rebuild their homes were approved long ago. All possible means must be taken to complete them and end the ordeal of the homeless victims.

Source: Tempo.com

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NHA turnover houses to IDPs

The local government and the National Housing Authority (NHA) marked Tuesday the first anniversary of the 20-day September 2013 standoff with groundbreaking and turnover of permanent shelters to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Zamboanga City.

Video

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and NHA District Manager Engineer Al-Kwarizimi Indanan spearheaded the two separate events, which are the groundbreaking for the rehabilitation project in the village of Mariki and turnover of 120 duplex-type permanent shelters in Paniran, Sta. Catalina.


The villages of Mariki and Sta. Catalina were among the four most affected areas in the 20-day standoff. The other affected villages were Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara.

The standoff started September 9 when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members loyal to MNLF founding-chair Nur Misuari infiltrated the four coastal villages in the city.

Indanan said the rehabilitation project in the village of Mariki involves the construction of 642 units of houses in stilts worth P137,720,620.2.

Indanan said the beneficiaries are the Badjaos “fire victim-families who were previously residing on the same place.”
FILPRIMEHOMES
He said the target completion date of the project is June 24, 2015.

He said the beneficiaries of the 120 duplex-type permanent shelters are the Paniran Resettlement Site members, whose houses were razed to the ground during the standoff.

He said they have “actually constructed” 139 houses instead of 172 units as 33 of the 172 member-families of the Paniran Resettlement Site opted to avail of the Home Materials Assistance (Homa).

He added that families who opted to avail themselves of the Homa will be the ones will reconstruct or repair their own houses with materials provided by the NHA.

Indanan said the construction of the remaining 19 housing units are ongoing and near completion. It will be turned over to the identified beneficiaries once completed.

Indanan said the Paniran Resettlement Project, which is aimed to complete by January 8, 2015, is worth P38,953,573.20.
Source: Sun Star

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NHA releases Funds for Yolanda

CEBU CITY -- Twelve northern Cebu towns have received P168.65 million so far from three National Government agencies to fix government buildings, build emergency shelter and develop resettlement areas for Yolanda survivors.

The financial assistance came from the quick response funds of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Housing Authority (NHA), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

This represents only the first tranche, said a recent progress report of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The assistance is not part of the P12.2-billion rehabilitation and recovery plan for Cebu Province that President Benigno Aquino III signed last July, said Capitol consultant for rehabilitation and recovery Carmel Ulanday.

Yolanda ended more than 6,200 lives and injured about 28,000 people in the Visayas last Nov. 8, 2013, said a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report.

The typhoon also destroyed or damaged almost P40 billion worth of infrastructure, crops and agricultural facilities.

DILG’s first tranche of assistance was released last May 2. It was intended for the repair of municipal buildings, public markets and civic centers.

Ulanday said the second tranche will be for the repair of barangay halls.

Earlier, Regional Director Ananias Villacorta said the financial assistance distributed to northern local governments formed part of the Recovery Assistance for Yolanda (RAY) fund of DILG.

For its part, DSWD has given emergency shelter assistance to Madridejos (P66.4 million), Sogod (18.1 million) and Tabuelan (P9 million).

Paperwork

Madridejos Mayor Salvador Dela Fuente said he received the DSWD’s funds early last June.

A total of 7,355 beneficiaries received shelter assistance last June 9.

Those with damaged houses received P5,000 each, while those whose houses were destroyed received P10,000.

In the PDRRMO report, NHA has given funds to Tuburan, so far, at P4.2 million.

Ulanday said there are some local government units (LGUs) that have not received assistance like the shelter assistance from the DILG because they lacked documents.

As for the resettlement areas, the bidding will happen at “the national level but contractors will coordinate with the municipalities” for the bidding documents needed.

Based on the Capitol report, the bidding is still being done for the repair of school buildings. The funds will come from the Department of Education and Department of Public Works and Highways.

Repairs

Other areas that still need to be addressed are livelihood, health and infrastructure.

Ulanday said the projects supported by the assistance from the different government agencies will be deducted from the P12.2-billion rehabilitation plan to avoid duplication.

Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro said the repairs on their cultural center, municipal hall and public market are ongoing. The town has also prepared three relocation sites in Barangays Agujo, Paypay and Pajo.

The construction of houses for survivors is being done with the help of different non-government organizations.

In Madridejos, Mayor dela Fuente said they are considering two potential resettlement areas in Barangays Kaongkod and Tarong.

The town is also waiting for the NHA’s help with the construction of houses. Dela Fuente admitted that a few families are still staying in tents, 10 months after the typhoon swept across the Visayas.

42,428 in Cebu

He said the DSWD funds given to the beneficiaries were not enough, especially for those whose houses were destroyed.

An NHA official, in a separate interview, said the agency is accrediting private contractors and land developers who can handle housing projects for survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Cebu and Bohol.

NHA 7 Regional Manager Gavino Figuracion said about 42,428 housing units were allocated for northern Cebu.

To qualify, contractors and developers must submit the first envelope containing their letter of intent to participate in housing projects for survivors of calamities.

Second, they should identify the properties that they are going to develop and the detailed engineering for the housing projects.

“I was informed that several contractors and developers are now roaming around northern Cebu to find properties to develop under the NHA program,” Figuracion said.

Housing

The NHA has a housing program for marginal families and a resettlement program that can be administered by LGUs, he also said.

Under the housing program for marginal families, the NHA offered a monthly rental of P500 for five years, with an option to purchase.

If a family will decide to purchase the house they are renting, their monthly rental will increase to P1,200 per month for 25 years, and all the rentals paid will be deducted from the unit price.

For the resettlement assistance program to LGUs, a city or town should provide property as their counterpart.

First to fourth-class towns can avail themselves of P12 million in assistance, which the NHA will not require the LGUs to pay back.

But Figuracion said they are encouraging LGUs to recover the amount from housing beneficiaries and use it as seed money for housing projects for other poor families.
Source: Sun Star

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NHA to turn over 120 permanent shelters

THE government, through the National Housing Authority (NHA), is set to turn over on Tuesday 120 units of permanent shelters to families displaced by the 20-day standoff in September 2013 in Zamboanga City.

The turnover of the permanent shelters coincides with the commemoration of the first anniversary of the 20-day standoff that displaced thousands of people.

The standoff broke out September 9, 2013 when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members loyal to MNLF founding-chair Nur Misuari infiltrated some of the coastal villages in the city.

NHA District Manager Engineer Al-Kwarizimi Indanan said Monday the beneficiaries of the permanent shelters are the member-families of the Paniran Resettlement Site in the village of Sta. Catalina.

The Paniran Resettlement Site consists of 172 family-members, whose houses were burned down during the standoff.

The village of Sta. Catalina was one of the four most affected villages in the 20-day standoff. The others are Sta. Barbara, Rio Hondo and Mariki.

But Indanan said during the media tour that they have "actually constructed" 139 instead of 172 units since 33 of the 172 families opted to avail themselves of Home Materials Assistance (Homa).

"Partially damaged lang ang houses nila that is why they opted for Homa" Indanan added.

Families who opted to avail themselves of the Homa will be the ones to reconstruct or repair their own houses with materials provided by the NHA.

The NHA and the City Government sponsored a media tour Monday to show to the public through the media the ongoing rehabilitation efforts of the government for the displaced families.

The rehabilitation efforts are in accordance to the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R).

Indanan said the remaining 19 of the 139 units will be turned over to the identified beneficiaries as soon as the construction is completed.

The construction of the Paniran Resettlement Project is set to be completed within 180 calendar days.

The project started last July 13 and the target completion date is on January 8, 2015.

The housing units to be turned over Tuesday will be the second set of permanent shelters to be handed over to the families displaced by the September 2013 siege.

The first set of permanent shelters consisting of 42 units worth P9.1 million was turned over last August 30 to the Martha Drive Homeowners Association also in the village of Sta. Catalina.

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NHA resettlement project in SoCot

South Cotabato -Real Estate

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/19 August)– The National Housing Authority (NHA) has released an initial P1.8 million to set off the development of the P12 million resettlement project in Sto. Nino town in South Cotabato.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), personally delivered the financial grant to the municipal government of Sto. Nino in a brief stop at the South Cotabato provincial capitol in Koronadal City late Monday afternoon.

“This is part of the national government’s commitment to address the basic needs of our poor, especially in terms of housing facilities,” he said during the turnover ceremony.

The Vice President said the NHA will work closely with the municipal government of Sto. Nino for the development of the resettlement project, which will benefit around 100 informal settlers in the area.

The project will be implemented within the 2.5-hectare unfinished Bliss housing village in Poblacion, Sto. Nino.

He said the municipal government was able to construct six housing units before the project was shelved following the 1986 Edsa people power revolt.Engr. Samson Espartero, Sto. Nino municipal engineer, said the resettlement site was first developed during the early 80s under the Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services or Bliss housing project of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

“We will be constructing 50 duplex housing units to complete the resettlement project,” he told MindaNews on the phone.

Espartero said they are targeting to begin the construction of the housing units, which would accommodate two families each, within the fourth quarter of the year.

He said the initial P1.8 million grant will be utilized for the mobilization and initial site development of the project.

The official said they are currently working on the posting or publication of the bidding for the resettlement project.

“The process could take about a month so, hopefully, we can be able to award the project contract by October,” he said.

Meantime, aside from the Sto. Nino Resettlement Project, two more socialized housing projects are due for implementation in the province within the next two years.

South Cotabato (2nd District) Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez said the HUDCC and the NHA earlier approved the allocation of around P12 million each for the resettlement projects in Surallah and Banga towns.

He said his office is currently assisting the two local government units in the acquisition of the housing sites to facilitate their implementation by next year.

Aside from these projects, Hernandez said he has proposed with the NHA for the expansion of its resettlement project for the tribal or indigenous peoples (IP) in T’boli town.

He said the initiative will take off from the P10 million “model IP resettlement project” being implemented by the agency in Lake Sebu town.

Source: Mindanao News

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