PORAC—Some 77 Aeta families displaced during the 6.1- magnitude earthquake that rocked Luzon on April 22, 2019 finally received their certificates of housing occupancy from Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda on Thursday, July 28.
Officials of the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) witnessed the said event.
Vice Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda and Porac Mayor Jing Capil joined the governor in turning over the new houses to the beneficiaries.
The houses were built on a 2.8-hectare land purchased by the provincial government in Barangay Babo Pangulo for Aetas from Barangay Diaz.
Last year, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Department of Science and Technology declared the previous settlement in Barangay Diaz “not fit for human habitation” due to large cracks following the earthquake.
Before the awarding of the new houses, the Aeta families were settled at a lot owned by the family of Board Member Fritzie David-Dizon in Babo Pangulo.
The 37 units were built by the provincial government through funds of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, according to its head Angelina Blanco.
She said the 40 other units were funded by a P20-million grant from the National Housing Authority.
Each unit measures 30 square meters and was built on a budget of P500,000 each according to Blanco. Each house has a bedroom, lavatory, kitchen and living room.
Additional units will be built through a donation from a private foundation tapped by Vice Gov. Pineda.
The 77 beneficiaries are part of the 96 Aeta families affected by the 2019 quake.