RELOCATION SITE. The National Housing Authority (NHA) relocation site in Barangay Lugta, Laua-anon, in this photo taken on Jan. 10, 2023. Mayor Aser Baladjay said in an interview Tuesday (Oct. 10, 2023) that they are now reviewing the list of beneficiaries for the housing units at the relocation site to be ready for awarding before Christmas time. (PNA photo courtesy of PHARO Antique)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The local government unit (LGU) of Laua-an has started its review of target beneficiaries this week in preparation for the turnover of housing units constructed by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in a relocation site in Barangay Lugta to qualified recipients before the Christmas time.
In the review conducted by the local inter-agency selection committee, composed of the local chief executive and department heads, victims of Typhoon Yolanda who have not availed of housing units and those living in flood-prone areas will be prioritized.
The remaining units will go to families displaced by Typhoon Paeng.
“It’s been 10 long years of waiting already on the part of the beneficiaries for them to be awarded of the housing units that some may no longer be interested or waive,” said Mayor Aser Baladjay in an interview Tuesday.
The relocation site, with 770 housing units, was originally intended for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda that struck the province in 2013.
The local government refused to accept the project after its completion in 2017 because it has no drainage system to mitigate flooding.
President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr., in an ocular inspection of Antique province right after the onslaught of Typhoon Paeng sometime in October 2022, directed Governor Rhodora Cadiao to address the problem at the relocation site to accommodate displaced families.
This year, the provincial government allocated PHP10 million for the drainage system that will undergo bidding this month, while the R.R. Encabo Contractors that built the housing units allotted PHP2 million to procure lots adjacent to the proposed project.
The R.R. Encabo Contractors has also started repairing damaged housing units to be ready for turnover by December.
“The construction of the drainage system will be implemented right after the bidding and so we urge the contractor of the housing units to make massive repairs now,” said Eby Archangel Butiong, head of the Provincial Housing Affairs and Resettlement Office and secretariat of the Task Force Lugta in an interview. (PNA)
