TACLOBAN CITY- As he promised, President Rodrigo Duterte visited the city to check the progress of the housing relocation projects intended for families who lost their houses when Tacloban was pummeled by supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013.
On Wednesday (January 25), the President returned but was visibly disappointed when he learned that there are more works to be done and that around 38 percent of the targeted 14,433 families that need to be relocated have been accomplished.
“I will be back on March to check if my directive is followed,” the fuming President said, pounding several times the podium as he stressed of his disappointment.
Mr. Duterte lead in the giving of certificate of house and lot allocation(Cela) to 1,062 families who are now residing to seven relocation sites- Ridge View Village, Greendale, Guadalupe, Villa Dina, Villa Sofia, North Hill Arbours at New Hope Village in Barangay Santa Elena where the program was held.
“Sabi ko noon, 28 lang ang nakalipat. Kung 28 lang ang nakalipat noong nandito ako November, sabi ko, itong project nyo sunugin na lang ninyo. Sabi ko I will return by December (but) was not able to return last December because I was very busy,” Duterte said.
During the third year commemoration of Yolanda’s onslaught last November 8, 2016, Mr. Duterte visited Tacloban and promised to return on December of same year to check the progress of the work.
Of the 14,433 identified families that need to be relocated, only 5,617 of them have been transferred to their new homes as of January 23, 2017 by the National Housing Authority and the city government of Tacloban.
During his visit, the President gave the government agencies involved in the housing projects until March this year to finish the transfer.
NHA regional manager Rizalde Mediavillo when asked on the directive of the President said that they would comply the presidential directive.
“If we need to do overtime, we will do that,” Mediavillo said.
Mediavillo said some of the causes of delay were identifying the relocation site, buying the property from the owners, titling the property, soil tests, non-availability of construction materials locally especially in 2014, weather concerns.(VICKY C. ARNAIZ)
