THE Mandaue City Government is set to transfer another batch of evacuee families to temporary housing facilities in Barangay Guizo following a coordination meeting led by Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano on Monday morning, January 5, 2026.
City Administrator Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on said the mayor convened officials from the City Engineering Office, the Housing and Urban Development Office (HUDO), and the Department of General Services (DGS) as the City resumes relocation efforts after a brief delay during the holiday season.
Malig-on said around nine additional families are expected to be transferred either on Wednesday, January 7, or Thursday, January 8, 2026, to the Pasilong sa Paradise temporary shelter in Barangay Guizo.
“We expect to move another nine families this Wednesday or Thursday,” Malig-on said, adding that the transfers are being done in batches to ensure proper management of utilities at the relocation site.
According to the city administrator, a total of 50 housing units are already available at the site.
However, the City opted to implement a phased or batch-by-batch transfer due to the need to properly segregate and cluster the sub-meters for water and electricity.
“There are 50 units available, but we are transferring families in batches because the water and power systems use sub-meters,” Malig-on said. “Clustering the units makes it easier to manage the distribution of utilities, so we usually move families in groups of nine.”
Malig-on clarified that the slight delay in the relocation process was mainly due to the extended holiday break, which lasted more than a week, resulting in limited manpower.
“The transfer was delayed because of the long holiday period. During that time, only essential services were operating, such as the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) and the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO). There were no available workers we could tap for the relocation,” he said.
With regular operations now resuming, Malig-on said the City Government is prioritizing the continuation of the evacuee transfer as one of its first actions for the year.
“This coordination meeting was the first thing the mayor called for this morning,” he said. “This shows that resuming the relocation of evacuees is a priority of the City Government.”
City officials assured that the remaining families will be transferred gradually as the necessary preparations for utilities and facilities are completed, emphasizing that the phased approach is meant to ensure safety, efficiency, and proper living conditions at the temporary shelter site. (ABC)