Housing projects to rise in Catbalogan City

CATBALOGAN CITY, Aug. 3 (PNA) -- The national government will build a housing project in Payao village in a bid to decongest this growing city.

Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said the Home Mutual Development Fund (HMDF) or Pag-ibig Fund will construct houses to address the needs of the city’s residents, especially those who were displaced by recent natural disasters.

On Monday, Pag-ibig Fund president and chief executive officer Darlene Marie Berberabe joined the ground breaking ceremony along with city officials in Payao village, around six kilometers away from the commercial district.

The eight-hectare land is just one of the three sites in the city identified as site for housing projects. Other sites are Lagundi and Socorro villages, both funded by a private developer.

Around 200 to 300 housing units will rise in Payao area, which was also identified by the city government as site for the city’s development expansion project.

“It was the city mayor who reached out to Pag-Ibig. We welcome any opportunity to help local government units in terms of housing development,” Berberabe said.

Other projects that will rise nearby are the Bahay Pagasa for children in conflict with the law and an evacuation center.

A private firm will also build in Payao village some tenement houses in partnership with the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Office, according to Uy-Tan.

“The important is we are heading towards that direction of organizations and agencies that are willing to help us fulfil these plans,” the mayor added. (PNA)
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