In Yolanda-hit areas of region 8 LGUs need lands for resettlement

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines— There is now a pressing need for donors who are willing to buy lands or donate their properties for resettlement of the survivors of the Yolanda-devastated towns of Leyte province.

Palo town Mayor Remedios Petilla, a former Leyte governor, and Javier town Mayor Leonardo "Sandy" Javier Jr. of the Andok's food chain, said there were many housing donors but no land to build the houses on.

"LGUs cannot afford to buy land," which has been the same problem all over, said Javier in behalf of  the mayors, being the president of the League of Mayors of the Philippines-Leyte chapter.

Javier said the task has been difficult because donors come to his town and tell him their intention to donate houses. There was one who came to him and was willing to donate 400 houses but there was no land to put them in. In the end, he had to give them the land he donated to the LGU in the past, he said.

Petilla, for her part, said the most she can come up were three to five hectares of land that were not enough areas for resettlement of all people who needed houses. "If there was land to be had, it was for sale but at steep prices at that. We need more," she said, appealing to the foreign humanitarian agencies present.

The two mayors issued these statements during a "Donor's Forum for Yolanda-affected areas in Leyte and Samar," which is now going on at the Leyte Park Hotel in Tacloban City, from March 25 to 27, as organized by the GIZ or the German Society for International Cooperation.

Mayors and representatives of at least 30 towns in Leyte and Samar attended the opening day of the forum, which was also attended by the United National Development Program (UNDP), the UN-Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UN-OCHA) and other humanitarian organizations helping in the relief and rehabilitation efforts. 

The Office of the Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), however, was not represented so questions on the progress of the government's relief and rehab efforts were not addressed.

Javier, who described the lack of land as "terrible," appealed to the donors present to donate lands. "There is no lack of housing donors. There is a lack of  land donations," he told them.

The two mayors said if they had enough land to develop into a large community, the delivery of livelihood assistance would be easy.

Petilla said the proposed resettlement site at Barangay Barayong of her town, if realized, would include a livelihood component, which she said was important so that they will not leave their homes and get tempted to resettle in the danger zones. "To buy the property in that barangay, the LGU needs P30 million for it," she said.

Javier, for his part, said he already started a new livelihood venture for his town's constituents. After Yolanda, he asked his people to replant immediately their rice lands, which are now ready for harvest by April, and he also started hollow-block making to provide employment for them.

"We now have 30 hollow block-making machines, which produce 30,000 hollow blocks a day," he said, while telling the other mayors they can procure these items from his town.  (FREEMAN)