CEBU, Philippines - More than three years after super typhoon Yolanda, none of the survivors in northern Cebu and other areas in Central Visayas are able to occupy government-sponsored housing projects.
This according to the National Housing Authority in a briefing it gave to President Rodrigo Duterte during his inspection at Tacloban City's New Hope Village Housing Project in barangay Santa Elena today, January 25.
Some good news was announced, however: an additional P5,000 financial assistance will be given to each of Yolanda victim. The cash incentive will be given after validation of the areas affected by the typhoon.
There are 22,423 beneficiaries of the housing project in Central Visayas but only 5,408 housing units have been bid out and awarded to contractors.
The same NHA report also showed that only 594 have been completed while 195 housing units are still being constructed.
A total of 205,128 units are needed for all areas devastated by Yolanda, including Tacloban City whose government housing program was inspected by Duterte.
Some 56,140 units are needed in Tacloban City with only 6,619 turned over to beneficiaries.
Duterte welcomed the developments compared to his first visit to the city when only less than a hundred units were turned over to Yolanda victims in a span of three years.
The projects in Tacloban were supervised by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas after Duterte personally assigned it as lead agency for the housing projects in the area.
The president said he expects a 100 percent turnover of housing units to victims in Tacloban by March 2017.
He said, “Responsible officials will be carrying crosses literally in March if this is not done.”
With the completion of Tacloban relocation projects by March, other areas are expected to follow suit. (FREEMAN)