Classroom shortage stalls transfer of Tacloban families to resettlement sites

TACLOBAN CITY, June 23 (PNA) -- The city government here admitted that lack of classroom in northern relocation sites is a setback to their effort to move families to safer grounds.

Maria Lagman, city housing and community development office said that classroom shortage was the reason why many families remained in bunkhouses until summer this year.

“We will not be moving additional families unless there are needed amenities such as new classrooms for their children,” Lagman said.

The city government has moved 872 families from bunkhouses to resettlement sites between April to May this year. At least 32 temporary learning spaces have been constructed to accommodate about 1,200 school children.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said that they could not proceed with the school building construction with the absence of deed of donations of lots from the National Housing Authority (NHA).

DepEd needs at least 43,374-square meter space to build 42,374 classrooms in relocation sites. This is on top of the 3,757-square meter required area for 40 classrooms within the existing campuses in the northern part of the city.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy said that NHA has no power at present to allocate spaces for school building construction since incomplete resettlement projects are still owned by contractors.

“Our proposal is for NHA to produce a letter of intent that they will donate some properties for learning facilities. This will allow DepEd to start the construction of new school buildings,” Uy said.

The city government and NEDA, the agency in-charge of post-Yolanda rehabilitation, are still waiting for reply from the education department on the proposal.

Classrooms shortage is the most recent resettlement-related concern that emerged in the process.

 Earlier, the government has tagged livelihood, water supply, electricity, and pollution as major setbacks.

Under its long term plan, the government will transfer 14,951 families or 74,755 individuals to northern relocation sites until 2018.

Currently, only about 2,000 families have been moved to their new homes, according to Lagman.

“This is a new city within a city that will transform Tacloban and be home for 40 percent of its population,” she said.

The city government also needs more funding support to build satellite city hall, market, trading post, bus station, police station, fire station, park, sports center, and retail center. (PNA)
JMC/SARWELL Q. MENIANO