Binay gives P27M housing aid to Yolanda victims

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A total of  P27 million housing fund aid was distributed by Vice President Jejomar Binay Wednesday to the five towns and cities in Negros Occidental.

Binay, concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), said the 10,000 beneficiaries of this aid were those whose houses were damaged when typhoon Yolanda hit the country last year.

Victorias City got the highest amount of assistance with P7,490,880 followed by Manapla town with P4,999,120; Silay City (P2,499,627); EB Magalona town (P2,499,375); and Talisay City (P2,496,900). Another P7 million was distributed to cooperative and government employees' housing in Hinigaran town. 

Binay said the government has already a program for relocation of about 20,000 families situated in the danger zone of the coastal communities in the seven cities and municipalities in the province.

The vice president also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between four LGUs–E.B. Magalona, Murcia, Talisay City and Victorias City–and the SHFC for the implementation of the Localized Community Mortgage Program (LCMP).

Representative Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez (3rd district), for his part, said "there is hope for the 1,852 informal settler families who are the beneficiaries of this partnership." —Marchel P. Espina

He noted that there are 750 informal settler families in Talisay City; 643 in Victorias City; 283 in EB Magalona and 176 in Murcia.

Benitez further assured the public that his office will continue to build the database for housing profile of the district, "so that we can better plan more initiatives to further address shelter problems, concerns and issues of the informal settlers."

Citing their initial data, the solon added there are 13,545 informal settler families in Victorias, Talisay and Murcia alone. (FREEMAN)