‘Sendong’ victims to get houses from government

Vice President Jejomar Binay INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Vice President Jejomar Binay has approved the purchase of seven relocation sites in northern Mindanao and the Visayas for the construction of 15,000 new homes  for victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong.”

Binay, who is also chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), said his office and the National Housing Authority (NHA) had authorized the purchase of four properties in Cagayan de Oro City, two in Iligan City and one in Dumaguete City at a total of P237 million.

“The sites would be subjected to geohazard surveys to ensure that the communities that we will build are safe and environmentally sustainable,” said Binay  in a statement issued Monday.

He said the NHA also allotted P288.8 million for the construction of 14,709 housing units in the relocation sites. Each unit will cost P110,000, of which P40,000 will come from the NHA and P70,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“The resettlement projects will have socioeconomic facilities and police outposts. We will also ensure the availability of basic services for the beneficiaries,” Binay said. Philip C. Tubeza