NHA sets 2017 deadline for all 'Yolanda' housing projects

TACLOBAN CITY, Jan. 26 (PNA) – The National Housing Authority (NHA) ordered contractors to complete all housing projects for super typhoon Yolanda survivors in central Philippines within the year.

While President Rodrigo Duterte directed on Wednesday the completion of housing projects for Tacloban by the end of March, NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. said project developers outside the city are given until December 2017 to complete all projects.

As of Jan. 24, only 21 percent or 42,465 of 205,128 Yolanda permanent housing projects have been completed so far. About 10 percent or 21,400 houses are still under construction. Only seven percent of 13,265 housing units have been occupied or awarded to recipients.

The agency has bid out 147,490 housing units to developers in six Yolanda-affected regions.

Of the 205,128 target housing units, some 90,148 are intended for Western Visayas, 56,140 for Eastern Visayas; 27,055 for Negros Island Region; 22,423 for Central Visayas; 8,760 for Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan Region; 500 units for Caraga Region; and 102 units for Bicol Region.

Of the 13,265 awarded housing units, 6,619 are in Eastern Visayas, 4,783 in Western Visayas, 1,863 in Negros Island Region.

“In terms of defect, I told the developers to fix those because we will terminate the contract and we will file liquidated damage against them,” Escalada said.

In the case of Tacloban City, President Rodrigo Duterte set the March 2017 deadline for the transfer of all 14,433 families living in coastal communities.

The NHA reported that as of Jan. 24, at least 5,617 housing units have been occupied and turned over to beneficiaries in the city.

Out of the 14,433 target units for construction in 19 sites, 8,106 have been completed and 3,141 are still ongoing.

From the original completion target of July 2017, he asked government officials to get it done by March.

NHA Manager Rizalde Mediavillo, when asked on the directive of the President, said they will do their best to beat the deadline. “We, at NHA have been working very hard ever since. The past months, we are doing overtime even on weekends.

Mediavillo said some of the causes of delay during the early phase of construction 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, and weather concerns.

The President’s directive does not only include building houses, but provision of electricity, water, and livelihood opportunities.(PNA)
FPV/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA & VICKY C. ARNAIZ/EGR