Housing for ‘habagat’ survivors

ANGELES CITY–At least 104 families that were displaced by rain from the “habagat,”  or southwest monsoon, in August last year have begun moving into new houses from a socialized housing project here.

Their relocation to Angeles Heights in Barangay (village) Salapungan began with the turnover of keys to their houses, which started on Friday last week, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said on Monday.

Angeles Heights is the third resettlement site built here by the city government and the National Housing Authority (NHA). The families used to live in shanties that they built along waterways and roads, said Pamintuan, a former NHA administrator.

Angeles Heights sits on 3.24 hectares, with 507 lots and houses at 40 square meters each. The city government is subsidizing P35,000 of the construction cost of P240,000 per unit. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

Soldier slain, 3 hurt in clash

A soldier was killed while three others were wounded in a clash with communist rebels in Lagonglong town, Misamis Oriental province, on Friday, a military official said on Sunday.

MISAMIS ORIENTAL –Major Christian Uy, spokesperson of the military’s 4th Infantry Division, said troops under the 58th Battalion were on a patrol mission following the reported presence of armed men in Barangay Umagos when they encountered an undetermined number of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

A 15-minute gun battle ensued, which resulted in the death of a solider and the wounding of three others.

The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been waging a guerrilla campaign in the countryside for four decades.

Military estimates place the NPA strength at more than 5,000 men scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts throughout the country.

Peace talks between the government and the Leftists bogged down in 2004 after the United States included the NPA and CPP in a list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao