LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--More than a year after Typhoon "Reming" (international code name: Durian) ravaged the Bicol region, housing rehabilitation here still falls short with around 10,683 displaced families still in need of permanent resettlement in Albay province alone.

Around 6,892 shelter units and 3,643 lots more are needed, which will take approximately P500 million and 40 hectares more of land, National Housing Authority regional director Albert Perfecto said.

In the aftermath of Reming, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) recorded 232,968 totally damaged houses in Bicol, 114,394 of which were in Albay.

Under the P8-billion Calamity Assistance Rehabilitation Effort (Care) funds, NHA-Bicol was allocated around P750 million for the acquisition and development of relocation sites and the purchase and distribution of housing materials.

The funds were targeted to benefit around 35,338 families, Perfecto said.

So far, around P500 million has been spent to acquire a total of 7,228 lots in Albay, covering a total of 96.4 hectares in at least 14 resettlement sites.

Housing materials such as roofing sheets and nails were also purchased for 5,000 families in the Albay and Camarines provinces, with distribution ongoing for around 19,000 more families across Bicol.

The last P250 million of the Care funds is currently being used for the development of resettlement sites in the provinces of Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and Sorsogon, and for the acquisition of additional sites in Albay.

Site development includes the surveying and clearing of the land, building road networks and constructing drainage systems and waterlines.

To date, none of the land development projects in resettlement areas in Albay has even reached half-completion, with nongovernment organizations opting to construct housing units even in undeveloped sites.
In Phase II of the Anislag Resettlement Area in Daraga, Albay, for example, records from the NHA show that 76 percent of the houses have already been completed by various NGOs, but only 41.4 percent of site development has been accomplished.

Perfecto attributed the slow site development to the delayed release of the P750 million Care funds, which was only issued to the NHA in June 2007.

Some land development contracts, namely for the Sto. Domingo, Taysan, Tagaytay and Polangui resettlement sites in Albay, ended up being awarded as late as November 2007.

"Contractors are required to finish site development within 3 to 4 months. But it usually takes five to six months since we still have to conduct prebuilding activities such as coordinating with local government units for the identification of possible sites," Perfecto said.

Around five more permanent resettlement areas are needed for Albay alone, he added.

Displaced families that have yet to be given permanent housing still stay in transit houses made of light materials.

"We are now looking at site acquisition in the municipality of Daraga, and in the villages of Sta. Monica, Banquerohan and Taysan in Legazpi City," Perfecto said.

NHA-Bicol aims to complete all projects by March 2008, he added.