THE Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)-Negros is planning to ask the House of Representatives to conduct an investigation on the implementation of the government housing project in Barangay Felisa, Bacolod City.
ERENEO Longinos, secretary-general of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay)-Negros, who attended a dialogue with Congressman Greg Gasataya and representatives of NHA on Monday, September 10, said the National Housing Authority (NHA) failed to produce the documents that the housing units at Barangay Felisa are already awarded to the uniformed personnel.
“It’s an intention of the NHA not to distribute the housing units to the qualified beneficiaries, especially the homeless residents of Bacolod,” he said.
He added that within a week, they will send a letter to the House of Representatives committee on housing chaired by Negros Occidental Third District Representative Alfredo Benitez to conduct a thorough investigation on the housing project in Bacolod.
Ciudad Felisa has a total of 1,498 units. Of the number, 45 percent of the units were awarded to the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), another 45 percent to the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the remaining 10 percent were awarded to the members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
It’s a row house constructed in 2012 and completed in 2015. It has a floor area of 22 square meters and expandable to 33 square meters. Monthly amortization is pegged at P200 for 25 years.
President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier signed a resolution that authorizes NHA to award to other qualified beneficiaries the unoccupied housing units whose ownership and possession are surrendered by their respective awardees and housing units whose respective awards were cancelled by the policemen, army, firemen and jail personnel.
On Friday, about 400 members of Kadamay expressed dismay that the officials of the NHA and Gasataya failed to show up for a dialogue at Gasataya’s office near the Bacolod Government Center (BGC).
Longinos said last week, Gasataya along with the city officials already held a meeting at the BGC where they discussed to send a letter to NHA central office for an allocation of funds for the implementation of an emergency housing assistance for the informal settlers who are facing demolition and living in danger zone.
He said: “But our members are not part of the plan because most of us are homeless residents of Bacolod, so how we can avail these program?”
He added the NHA should implement the joint resolution signed by Duterte.
Senate housing committee chairman Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who inspected the housing project in Barangay Felisa on Friday, said that most of the housing units for uniformed personnel in Bacolod City were already awarded to its beneficiaries, but those who will waive their houses will be distributed by the NHA to the qualified beneficiaries.