The City Government of Sagay has clarified that its housing project for residents affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda was not abandoned.
Photos of the project site in the city's Barangay Paraiso showing some housing units almost covered with grasses were making rounds on social media.
Lawyer Ryan Bonghanoy, focal person for Sagay City's Yolanda Housing Project, said these units are part of the second phase of the project.
Bonghanoy, who is also the head of the Economic Enterprise Management Office of Sagay City, said the application and validation processes for would-be beneficiaries are ongoing.
Once the installation of the beneficiaries for about 100 remaining houses under Phase 1 is completed, the distribution of the units for Phase 2, particularly those shown in the photos posted on social media, will immediately follow, he said.
The focal person said the maintenance of the units was temporarily stopped mainly because of the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Bonghanoy said there is an existing agreement between the local government and barangay council on the maintenance of the units pending its distribution.
He said the barangay was tasked to do the maintenance works, but it got busy due to various Covid-related activities.
"The city, through our mayor, will provide the assistance to maintain the facilities like payment for the labor. However, especially with this pandemic, the barangay is busy doing a lot of things so it probably missed maintaining the units," Bonghanoy said.
He said "the barangay is involved in activities like mobile vaccination so it was not intentionally abandoned," adding that quarantine restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 threat also delayed the installation of beneficiaries for the remaining Phase 1 housing units.
As this developed, the local government already discussed the matter with the barangay council.
Bonghanoy confirmed to SunStar Bacolod on Wednesday, September 1, that the units were already cleaned.
In 2019, the local government has completed the construction of over a thousand units at the project site.
It targets to distribute all the remaining units under Phase 1 as soon as possible, Bonghanoy said.
Aside from the Yolanda victims, the beneficiaries would also include residents living in the “danger zones” and those below poverty line.
“It is sad that the pictures were taken and depicted that way. But, the truth is it was not an abandoned project,” he said.