In Northern Cebu government housing projects have not been completed

CEBU, Philippines – More than two years after super typhoon Yolanda hit Cebu, no housing projects by the National Housing Authority in northern part of the province have so far been completed, a government report revealed.

A report from the National Economic and Development Authority in Central Visayas (NEDA-7) showed that five housing projects worth P1 billion are currently on-going in Bantayan Island and the towns of Daanbantayan, Tabuelan, Medellin and San Remegio. And other 27 housing projects to cost P5.6 billion have not yet started.

NEDA Regional Director Efren Carreon admitted that the permanent shelter project of NHA for the Yolanda rehabilitation program has been facing delays due to some factors.

"One problem is the non-availability of land," Carreon said in an interview, adding that the lands to be used for the housing projects have to be declared first as "disposable".

Earlier, the NHA cited the lack of available lands in safe zones, legal concerns on titling properties, issuances of permits and clearances, availability of raw materials and inclement weather as among the factors hindering it in its housing program.

Carreon explained the Commission on Audit wants the government to invest only in titled lands.

An NHA report dated November 5, 2015 indicated that its four housing projects in Cebu (not to include the one in San Remegio) will produce a total of 1,951 housing units.

Carreon hopes that the ongoing projects will be completed by 2016, noting that those that have yet to start might be completed by 2017.

As of October, NHA said a P27-billion budget had already released for its resettlement site project in Visayas provinces including Cebu affected by Yolanda in 2013 to fund a total of 92,554 housing units. Of these, 17,641 units have been completed so far.

The NEDA-7 report also showed that of the total 2,766 Yolanda rehabilitation projects to be implemented in Region 7, only 997 have so far been completed. These are projects in resettlement, infrastructure, livelihood and social services.

The total number of projects is estimated to cost P11.99 billion. Around 991 projects are ongoing, estimated to cost P4 billion; while 481 projects pegged to cost P5.9 billion have not yet started. There are also 297 projects, estimated to cost P53.2 million, that are still unfunded by the government.

Carreon said many of the ongoing projects are targeted to be completed before the year's end.

NEDA-7 has created the Yolanda Project Monitoring Office tasked to track rehabilitation and recovery efforts in the region. (FREEMAN)