P30 million allotted for Taal housing

MANILA, Philippines — The government has earmarked P30 million to provide housing units for residents displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano last year.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) committed a P30-million grant to the provincial government of Batangas in line with the Taal Rehabilitation and Recovery Program.

Housing chief Eduardo del Rosario said the grant would be distributed among 15 cities and municipalities affected by the eruption.

These are the towns of Agoncillo, Alitagtag, Balete, Cuenca, Laurel, Lemery, Mataas na Kahoy, Malvar, San Jose, San Nicolas, Sta. Teresita, Talisay and Taal as well as the cities of Lipa and Tanauan.

The grant will be used to identify and acquire suitable and sustainable resettlement sites for the affected families.

The budget is aimed at establishing safer and more resilient resettlement communities in areas impacted by the calamity in January 2020.

“The budget is available any time, ready for tapping once the LGU has satisfied the process,” Del Rosario said, referring to the local government unit.

As of end-2020, there were 2,672 housing units due for relocation being offered by the National Housing Authority.

To date, more than 600 families in four locations in Talisay and Balete have been relocated.

Seven other sites across Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) are being identified to serve as permanent resettlement areas.

A total of P42 billion is needed for the Taal recovery.

The amount covers 1,347 projects to bring back Taal to where it was before the volcano erupted.