Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles revealed in a press conference in Iloilo that 70% of housing projects for Typhoon Yolanda victims in Region 6 in the Visayas has already been completed.
“We will be able to finish the remaining 30% at the soonest possible time. There likewise remain a few municipalities with pending concerns but we’ve been assured by the National Housing Authority (NHA) that these issues will all be addressed,” Nograles said.
“A selection committee constituted by the LIAC will make the final determination of who gets awarded the housing units.”
The Cabinet Secretary noted that there were finished housing units with pending water and electricity installations, thereby needing fast track assistance from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) as well as electric cooperatives, which his office was coordinating.
“We’re mindful of the deadline set by President (Rodrigo) Duterte. He’s pushing physical completion of the housing units by the NHA within 2019 and full turnover of livable units in the entire Yolanda corridor by 2020,” the Cabinet Secretary noted.
“For units covered by the reported 70% completion, half of those have already been awarded. We’re seeking the cooperation of local government units (LGUs) and mayors because local chief executives sit as chairpersons of the local inter-agency committees (LIACs). A selection committee constituted by the LIAC will make the final determination of who gets awarded the housing units after a thorough selection process.”
“Immediate turn-over of livable housing units is our objective in order that beneficiaries can use them right away.”
Nograles explained that they have a complete record of housing units for Yolanda victims. Every town and municipality has its own status report, which will ease monitoring by both local officials and beneficiaries.
“The mayors we’ve dialogued with see that we’re completely open with the status of the ongoing projects vis-a-vis what’s being reported by the NHA. They know what’s finished and what’s pending. This is in line with President Duterte’s aim of transparency.”
“Immediate turn-over of livable housing units is our objective in order that beneficiaries can use them right away. They’ve been made to wait long enough, and fully deserve government’s attention and action.”
Nograles was in Iloilo to lead the Cabinet Assistance System (CAS) in Region 6. CAS is a government mechanism aimed at determining local concerns at the regional level and eventually elevating them to the national government for inclusion in the President’s and the Cabinet’s agenda.