Resettlement houses seen for survivors in Leyte town

TACLOBAN CITY—A P45-million resettlement site for 500 families who lost their homes during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” will soon rise in Palo town, Leyte province.

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) earmarked the amount for the construction of the new houses for the families in Barangay (village) Barayong, according to its president, Alfonso Siy.

“We hope that with the construction of the houses, we can help them improve their lives and assure them that they are in a safe area and that the houses can withstand a strong typhoon,” Siy said.

Barayong, 2 kilometers from the town proper, covers 37 hectares of land, of which 5 ha have been designated as housing area.

Construction of the houses will start once the site development is completed by the National Housing Authority, Siy said. Each unit, which is made of prefabricated materials, has a floor area of

21 square meters with a common comfort room.

5 classrooms, health center

FFCCCII, which has tycoon Lucio Tan as chair emeritus, will also put up five classrooms and a health center.

Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla expressed gratitude to  FFCCCII for helping provide the houses to the displaced survivors.

“The local government unit of Palo and the Department of Social Welfare and Development will screen those who will stay in the Friendship Village, which will comprise families from the different villages badly hit by the typhoon. We will prioritize those who are still staying in tents as their temporary shelter,” Petilla said. Joey Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas