CEBU CITY – The National Housing Authority has committed to fund the housing program for families displaced by the massive landslide in Naga City, Cebu.
Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong said that for Phase 1 of the housing program, the NHA will fund the construction of 320 housing units in a Gawad Kalinga community situated in Naga City.
“This is part of the commitment by President Duterte to provide relocation site for the displaced families,” said Chiong.
If needed, the housing program will have Phase 2, Chiong said.
“In case there will be more families that have to be relocated, 536 units will be built in Balili property,” the mayor said.
Each house, a two-story structure, is worth R400,000.
Chiong said the city will await the results of the assessment conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“The DENR will check if the relocation site is safe,” the mayor said.
Chiong said the number of families that will be relocated will also depend on the assessment of the DENR.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu has ordered that residents living within the one-kilometer radius of the landslide area should evacuate.
“It may be reduced to 300 meters. At the time when Secretary Cimatu ordered the forced evacuation, there were still movement of the soil that’s why it was expanded to one kilometer. We will await clearance from DENR,” said Chiong.
The landslide happened in Barangay Tinaan and most of the fatalities are from Sitio Sindulan.
Naga City information officer Garry Cabotaje said the death toll has reached 56 as of 10 a.m. yesterday.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III has expressed willingness to donate the province-owned Balili property, a 24.7-hectare beach front property, to Naga City.
Davide said there were previous negotiations where the province will sell the property to Naga City.
But after the landslide, Davide is now considering to just donate the property to Naga City.
Davide said the province will also give R10,000 to each family of the fatalities and another R1 million to the city government of Naga.
The Balili property was the subject of a graft case filed against former Cebu Gov. now Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia.
Graft charges were filed against Garcia after it was found out that the Balili property, which was purchased province during for R98.9 million, was largely underwater and covered with mangroves.
The Ombudsman in February ordered the dismissal from public service of Garcia in connection with a R24.47-million project to backfill the largely underwater Balili property. (Calvin D. Cordova)