IT HAS been a decade since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) unleashed its devastating fury in northern Cebu. While affected areas have made progress in recovery and rehabilitation efforts, a concerning statistic remains: Only 51.63 percent of the target housing units for survivors in Cebu have been completed.
According to the National Housing Authority (NHA) Cebu District Office, only 11,637 out of the promised 19,738 permanent housing units have been constructed.
Dante Estrobo, NHA Cebu officer-in-charge, told SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, that this can be attributed to various factors, including land acquisition, funding issues, logistical challenges, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the original initial goal was to build 22,423 units.
Yolanda, a Category 5 storm, struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, affecting more than 14 million people across 44 provinces, claiming the lives of over 8,000 people, and displacing millions more.
It had maximum sustained winds of 235 kilometers per hour (km/h) near the center and gusts of up to 275 km/h. This intensity resulted in catastrophic damage to poorly constructed homes, makeshift structures, and buildings made of lightweight materials.
In the aftermath, the government committed to provide permanent housing for those affected, with the aim of enabling survivors to rebuild their lives and communities.
Of the 11,637 permanent homes built in Cebu, 2,863 are in Daanbantayan town; 220 in Tabuelan; 1,224 in San Remigio; 1,200 in Medellin; 750 in Bogo City; 184 in Tabogon; 170 in Tuburan; 1,000 in Santa Fe; 2,380 in Bantayan; and 758 in Madridejos.
Estrobo said they also turned over 888 units to local government units (LGUs), but these are not being used by their owners due to lack of permanent water and electricity supply, among others.
“NHA is responsible for the water system only; we are not responsible for the water source. The LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) is in charge of the water source,” he said.
He said LGUs have promised to immediately provide water to these housing locations so the homeowners can move in.
There are 314 completed units ready for turnover in Sogod, 352 in Bantayan, 205 in Madridejos and 17 in San Francisco.
“Material costs have significantly increased since the beginning of the project, making the current prices unrealistic,” Estrobo said.
He said the increase in prices of materials in the market is one of the reasons for the delay in construction.
At the start of the housing project in 2014, a housing package, including the lot, was priced at P290,000 per unit. Starting in 2019, the cost per unit jumped to P476,000.
Estrobo said they might end up spending more than P500,000 per unit, but the cost has yet to be approved.
The housing officer also cited transportation and logistics costs associated with moving housing materials, particularly to far-flung places in island towns in Cebu from mainland Cebu, as another reason for the delay.
He said marked-up prices of materials are due to double handling or even triple handling of materials from sources.
According to Mecalux, a storage system company, double handling refers to the excessive movement of goods, a practice that reduces productivity in logistics facilities. Inefficiency in material handling and order picking results in cost overruns, stock losses, late deliveries, and ultimately, poor service for end customers.
He said that due to this, no developer is willing to bid on building houses in far-flung areas. As a result, they provided funds to some LGUs to build the units themselves. Initially, all housing units were supposed to be NHA-implemented.
To ensure the houses met established standards, NHA Cebu engineers were deployed to monitor their construction, he said.
So far, San Remigio built 617 houses in Barangay Lawis, while Medellin built 569 units in Barangay Panugnawa.
He said all units currently under construction are LGU-implemented, adding that all NHA-implemented units have been completed. There are still 2,268 houses in various stages of construction.