PRESIDENTIAL Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino will meet with two northern Cebu town mayors who allegedly refused to let some typhoon Yolanda survivors move into their newly constructed houses.
More than three years after super typhoon Yolanda devastated some parts of northern Cebu, not one family has moved into relocation sites set up by the government.
Dino told reporters the situation in northern Cebu during the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in Tacloban City yesterday.
During his visit, the National Housing Authority (NHA) disclosed that as of Jan. 24, a total of 22,423 houses are needed in Central Visayas.
Of the number, 9,518 are for the municipalities of Bantayan, Madridejos and Sta. Fe.
Of the 22,423 houses needed, 5,408 were bid out and were already awarded to the contractors.
At least 594 were already completed and 195 houses are being constructed. These houses, however, have not been turned over to the beneficiaries yet.
Duterte did not particularly mention the rehabilitation efforts in northern Cebu. The president, however, said that he wants all construction projects for Yolanda survivors to be finished by March this year.
As to the meeting, Dino said there are housing units that are ready for turnover but the concerns of the mayor have to be settled first.
“I want to meet them because I want to hear from them what the problem is,” he said.
Last December, the NHA-accredited land developers promised Dino that they will turn over 103 houses in Bantayan town, 36 units in Daanbantayan and 31 units in Medellin.
The promise was made after the court lifted the mandamus that stalled the construction of the housing units in Bantayan Island.
The housing projects were delayed because the island is classified as a wilderness area, and permits for construction projects could not be issued.