USELESS HOUSES?

ILOILO City – Where are the beneficiaries of the P4.2-billion government housing project in Barangay Cruz, Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo for active members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police? The houses appeared unoccupied and vandalized, according to Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) member Domingo Oso.

“The houses were constructed in 2012. In my personal observation, there were a few takers. This may be because facilities are not properly installed by the developer. Lamps, water, drainage, and window grills are not there,” Oso told a National Housing Authority (NHA) representative.

Three SP committees have started investigating the housing project – committee on justice, good government and human rights chaired by SP member Renee Valencia; committee on infrastructure chaired by SP member Bryant Paul Biron; and committee on social welfare, housing, senior citizens, and persons with disability headed by SP member Liecel Mondejar-Seville.

The project has 1,050 housing units. Manila-based construction company HG-3 completed it in 2013. Each unit cost P240,000.

According to Rhodora Lim, estate supervisor of NHA in Region 6, of the 1,050 housing units 743 have actually been turned over to beneficiaries while 300 units are reserved for beneficiaries of policemen and soldiers killed in action.

Some families, however, may have opted not to stay in their houses, said Lim, due to the reassignment to other areas of their police or military spouses.

As to the missing house fixtures, Lim said, these are installed only when the beneficiaries have decided to move in.

“Actually na-install na ina sang una sang contractor pero ginpangkawat. Amo na nga subong gina-install only kun magsaylo na ang beneficiary,” said Lim.

Oso said some beneficiaries may have found  it taxing to live in the housing project site because they were assigned in areas far from Barotac Nuevo.

He asked NHA to provide the SP with the list of beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries have a monthly amortization through salary deduction.

Oso suggested that the provincial government take over the housing project and allot the houses to provincial government employees who have no houses of their own yet.

SOURCE: Panay News

Special thanks to: