A 'substantial' number of houses for families affected by 'Yolanda' remain unfinished

MANILA, Philippines — A "substantial" number of houses for families affected by "Yolanda" remain unfinished more than five years after the typhoon ravaged the Visayas, Malacañang said Sunday. 

Citing a report of the National Housing Authority, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said 56,140 of the 205,128 housing units in the "Yolanda" corridor are in Eastern Visayas. 

Of the 56,140 Eastern Visayas housing units, only barely more than half, or 29,531, are fully completed, with 18,183 units already occupied and 11,348 units ready for occupancy. 

LOOK: Five years later: How ‘Yolanda’-hit areas look now

To address the issue, Nograles has asked Leyte mayors to reactivate local inter-agency committees formed to ensure the successful turnover of "Yolanda" resettlement housing projects.

“We have to address this by reactivating the LIACs. If the LIACs are active, major milestones (would be) observed. This includes submission of a complete list of beneficiaries, monitor the status of construction of housing units, facilitate the actual transfer of beneficiaries, and come up with occupancy rules and regulations,” Nograles said in a statement. 

“We are appealing to local government units for active support and participation because only through LIACs that we can effectively implement housing program. Through this committee, they can generate issues and concerns, report to us, and address these needs through national government agencies with the help of local governments,” he added. 

LIACs consist of mayors, local government offices’ department heads, civil society organizations, people’s organizations and private sector representatives. 

The government aims to complete all housing projects by next year. 

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Nograles said LIACs are active in 12 of the 43 local governments provided with "Yolanda" housing projects. The interagency committees in 10 local governments are said to be inactive.

Nograles said key accomplishments have been observed in local governments where LIACs are active namely the complete submission of the master list of "Yolanda" housing beneficiaries, public raffle of housing units, actual transfer and relocation of beneficiaries and orientation of beneficiaries on occupancy rules and regulations.

Nograles, also the chairman of an interagency task force on the rehabilitation and recovery of areas hit by "Yolanda," said it was necessary to find out the needs of resettlement sites and include them in the 2020 budget.

“We want a township approach where resettlement sites are provided with electricity, water, community center, school, health center, access road, and livelihood opportunities,” the Cabinet official said. 

The distribution of "Yolanda" housing projects was discussed during Nograles' meeting with 42 Eastern Visayas mayors in Palo, Leyte last Saturday. The Cabinet secretary also visited Tanauaun to check permanent houses built by the NHA.

“Yolanda,” said to be one of the strongest cyclones that hit the Philippines, left more than 6,000 people dead and more than a million others displaced. The typhoon also damaged about P90 billion worth of properties, according to government data.