‘Yolanda’ shelters ready for distribution
A big chunk of the permanent shelters for families displaced by super typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013 are now complete and about to be distributed to the beneficiaries, Malacañang disclosed on Wednesday.
According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, construction of 70 percent of housing projects — half of which have already been turned over to the intended recipients — for “Yolanda” victims in Region 6 are already finished while the remaining 30 percent are expected to be done “at the soonest possible time.”
“We will be able to finish the remaining 30 percent at the soonest possible time. There likewise remain a few municipalities with pending concerns but we’ve been assured by the National Housing Authority (NHA) that these issues will all be addressed,” Nograles said in a news conference in Iloilo for the Cabinet Assistance System (CAS).
CAS is a government mechanism aimed at determining local concerns at the regional level and eventually elevating them to the national government for inclusion in President Rodrigo Duterte’s and his Cabinet’s agenda.
Nograles noted that there were finished housing units with pending water and electricity installations, thereby needing assistance from the Local Water Utilities Administration and the National Electrification Administration as well as electric cooperatives, which his office is keeping close tabs on.
“We’re mindful of the deadline set by President Duterte. He’s pushing physical completion of the housing units by the NHA within 2019 and full turnover of livable units in the entire ‘Yolanda’ corridor by 2020,” stated the official.
“For units covered by the reported 70 percent completion, half of those have already been awarded. We’re seeking the cooperation of local government units and mayors because local chief executives sit as chairpersons of the local inter-agency committees,” Nograles said.