3 ‘Yolanda’ housing projects still unfinished
TACLOBAN CITY — Six years after super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged Eastern Visayas, three housing projects that were supposed to be completed in 2017 remain unfinished in the northern resettlement area of this city.
Dorcas Secreto, media relations officer of the National Housing Authority (NHA) Region 8, said a notice to terminate/show cause order due to slippage above 15 percent has been issued to Edison Development and Construction for having completed only 422 out of 854 housing units in Greendale Residences Phase 2 land developing and housing project located in Barangay Suhi here.
A total of 59 housing units have been substantially completed (short of installation of removables like windows, doors and toilet bowls, which are installed prior to the schedule of movement of beneficiaries to their housing units), while 302 units remain under construction in various stages.
An official of NHA 8 revealed that the developer is working under liquidated damages. Initial computation reveals that a maximum of 10 percent of the total cost will be imposed upon the developer, he said.
The project was supposed to be completed on May 1, 2017.
“We have a mandate that the unfinished housing projects should undergo repackaging. Either the money would be downloaded to the LGU if they agree or it will undergo a rebidding process,” he added.
It is currently under repackaging to account for the remaining works that will be documented for bidding.
“After the final quantification and inventory, if it needs to be bid out to a new developer, that is when repackaging will occur,” Secreto said in an interview.
Records also revealed that an order of termination of contract against St. Gerard Const. for Greendale Residences Phase 3, also located in Brgy. Suhi, and Robig
Builders & Dev. Corp. for Salvacion Heights with 258 units was issued last April 25.
However, some of the houses have already been occupied with 279 completed and 93 substantially completed out of 459 units. The housing project was supposed to be finished on April 17, 2017.
In Brgy. Salvacion, 78 houses were completed, 112 substantially completed, 7 houses have not yet been built, and 61 remain under construction in various stages. The units remain unoccupied as they lack water and electricity connections. The developer has not yet laid the water pipeline, while as to power, the official said that NHA resolved to pay for its installation.
A total of 14,433 housing units were supposed to be built in Tacloban, which was revised to 13,898 due to variation. The NHA has targeted all Yolanda housing projects to be completed by July next year.
An additional 1,110 units are being constructed in Brgy. Palanog, which started on March 31, 2019.