The city hall building of Koronadal City (File photo courtesy of Koronadal LGU)
KORONADAL CITY – Construction work will soon start for a PHP50-million resettlement housing project funded by the national government for informal settlers here.
Preparations commenced Monday for the development of the housing units at the 2.8-hectare resettlement site in Barangay New Pangasinan through a joint undertaking of the city government and the National Housing Authority (NHA).
City Mayor Eliordo Ogena said the project’s formal groundbreaking ceremony is set on Thursday, October 21, and will be joined by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo del Rosario.
“This groundbreaking is for the actual construction of the housing units,” the mayor said in the city government’s radio program “Tingog sang Pagsanyog.”
NHA and the local government launched last March the initial site development works, which cost around PHP11.5 million.
Dubbed “Koronadal Cityville,” the mayor said the project is just the start of the local government’s collaboration with NHA and DHSUD to provide housing for the area’s informal settlers.
He said the local government received an initial grant of PHP25 million from NHA and an additional PHP25 million that will be paid through a housing financing scheme.
The city government has released over PHP20 million as a counterpart for the project’s implementation, he said.
“I also received a message from DHSUD (regional office) that we will be getting an additional PHP20 million funding for the project,” Ogena said.
At least 180 informal settler families have been identified as initial beneficiaries of the housing project.
Ogena said these are families situated in the danger zones and affected by the ongoing rehabilitation of Blok Creek, a critical waterway traversing the city’s downtown area.
The local government has started clearing the creek’s three-meter easement to remove other obstructions affecting the flow of water, he said.
Ogena assured the public that the identified beneficiaries are qualified to receive the housing units as evaluated by a committee created by the city government.
“This is not a dole out. The beneficiaries will be paying for the housing units through a socialized scheme,” he said.
Ogena added that the local government has been making “deliberate efforts” to partner with DHSUD and NHA for the implementation of more housing projects in the city. (PNA)
