NHA okays 12,016 additional houses for ‘Yolanda’ survivors

TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 23  – The National Housing Authority (NHA) has approved at least PHP4 billion funds to build additional 12,016 houses for areas not previously covered by resettlement projects meant for super typhoon Yolanda survivors.

NHA Eastern Visayas Regional Manager Rizalde Mediavillo confirmed on Thursday that more government housing projects will rise in the region, heeding the request of mayors sent to the Regional Development Council last year.

Mediavillo said local government units proposed 15,594 new houses but only 12,016 were approved by the national government to be financed by unspent allocations from the 2016 Yolanda Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program.

“There were proposals to download funds to local government units, but President Rodrigo Duterte directed us to implement the project by contract in accordance with existing procurement rules. The procurement is scheduled starting this first quarter of 2018,” the official said.

Of the 12,016 houses, 9,516 units will rise in Leyte province, which include 1,500 in Dulag town, 1,616 in Leyte, 1,000 in Barugo, 1,000 in Tabontabon, 2,000 in Villaba, 600 in Capoocan, 300 in Dagami, 1,000 in Sta. Fe, and 500 in Javier.

In Samar province, 2,500 new houses will be built in the towns of Talalora (1,000 units), Daram (1,000 houses), and Zumaraga (500 units).

Each resettlement site will have a multi-purpose covered court and training center to support livelihood and other community projects.

The new projects are in addition to the 56,140 permanent houses intended for super typhoon survivors in the entire Eastern Visayas region. Of the total, 14,433 are in Tacloban City, 16,199 in Leyte, 130 in Southern Leyte, 8,900 in Samar, 7,573 in Eastern Samar, and 8,905 in Biliran province.

As of Jan. 31 this year, 13,343 houses have been awarded to beneficiaries, 18,543 are completed, 15,839 are ongoing, and 3,456 are up for bidding. The rest are still under planning stage.

From 2013 to 2017, the NHA got the highest outlay among all agencies involved in post-disaster recovery projects at PHP21.92 billion.

Design parameters for all housing projects conform with the National Building Code, design for socialized and economic housing, and other related laws to make sure that shelters will be able to withstand natural calamities and extreme weather conditions.

Each house has a 40-square meter lot area. It is loftable with a total floor area of 33 square meters with structural improvements following the "Build Back Better Policy" and other guidelines for disaster-resilient housing.

On the reported substandard NHA projects by contractor JC Tayag Builder in Eastern Samar, Mediavillo said all their contracts have been terminated. The project will be awarded to “best contractors” according to him. (SQM/PNA)