New relocation site to residents in calamity-prone areas

PALO, Leyte – Informal settlers residing in calamity prone areas will be transferred to a more convenient and danger-free area as the Municipal Government is purchasing the land where they could be relocated.

Councilor Wilson Uy said the Municipal Council members reprogrammed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) fund of the municipality during their session on Tuesday morning of this week.

“The PhilHealth fund that amounted to P1.6 million every year that is being reprogrammed would now be used in purchasing of land property to be used as relocation site for affected families living along calamity prone areas,” Uy explained.

He added the Municipal Government conducted a committee hearing twice together with a PhilHealth representative.

Uy revealed that about 1,600 indigent PhilHealth members are being covered by the said fund every year.

The councilor said that Mayor Remedios Petilla requested the SB members to reprogram the PhilHealth fund since the Provincial Government through Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla assured to pay for the indigent PhilHealth members of Palo.

“Actually, the Municipal Government faces a problem on how to pay the 1,600 members we have since PhilHealth increased the payment from P1,200 to P2,400 yearly. But the delay of the payment we have is considered to be a blessing in disguise because Governor Petilla shouldered on paying it,” she added.

According to Uy, Governor Petilla envisioned that all indigent individual throughout the entire province could be a PhilHealth member.

“We are lucky then that because of Governor Petilla, the member beneficiaries of PhilHealth reached to more than 8, 300, which is far different from the 1,600 members recognized by the municipal government before,” Uy said.

On the other hand, Uy said the Municipal Government still has to look for an available site, but they consider Caloogan as a possible area for it is accessible and not prone to flooding. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)