19 families from Brgy. Andap in New Bataan gets housing units

NINETEEN families from Barangay Andap in New Bataan received housing units at P381-K worth each during the ceremonial turnover led by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in partnership with the PAO-Housing and Homesite Division (HHD) of the provincial government and other stakeholders on Jan. 24.

Anna Jane S. Pedro, 25, a beneficiary, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the national and local government units for the provision they received.

"Karun nga napadulong (na) gyud mi sa offsite (pabahay), nga totally naa amoa nagyud ni siya. Wala ko nagtuo nga ingon ana siya kanindot, daghan naamaze dili lang kami nga benipisyaryo. Number one ko nga blessed jud kaayu ug dakog pasalamat sa tanan nga nahimong kabahin ani," Pedro said.

Meanwhile, in a oneon-one interview with Maricel L. Lindaan, 40, also a beneficiary, she extended her appreciation to the government and is looking forward to more programs and projects for them.

"Manghinaot ko nga naa pay muaabot nga kining amoang kapanginabuhian gawas sa among pabahay nga na-avail para maka-sustain pud sa among panginahanglan," Lindaan said.

Aside from the turnover of symbolic keys, the beneficiaries acquired their Certificate of Award which denotes the ownership of their new house. These beneficiaries are among those individuals who were once affected by the wrath brought by typhoon Pablo in 2012 and were initially included under the New Bataan Resettlement Project 2.

Acting Provincial Administrator Fatima Montejo representing Governor Dorothy Gonzaga congratulated the beneficiaries and stated that the delay of the turnover was due to occurrences that must be settled such as processing the legal documents so that they will not encounter any problems in the future and be protected by their rights of owning the residence.

In addition, it can be remembered that the Relocation Site located in Purok 5A, where the said beneficiaries formerly lived, has been declared a danger zone as the land constantly moves during heavy rains, making it susceptible to landslides.

Thus, in a message from Mayor Geraldford Balbin, he said that the new sites, where these new houses are constructed, are declared by Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) as a secure area, ensuring the protection of the people.

Further, this PHP 7.2M Balai Maal-lag or Mahayag nga Balay Housing Project (offsite) consists of 19 one-story houses with 30 sq. meters in floor area having two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a sink each. These houses are built into the beneficiaries' individual properties or the properties of third parties who offered the use of their lands in favor of the beneficiaries herein, subject to the limitation that the property is located in Barangay Andap.

NHA XI district manager Engr. Sonia Bulseco, in her speech, encouraged the beneficiaries to take good care of what the government has given to them.