KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 18 Dec) – The construction of housing units for almost 1,000 quake-hit families here is set to start early January 2020, Mayor Joseph Evangelista said.
Evangelista said the purchase of at least eight hectares of lots for the relocation of the internally displaced persons was already approved during a caucus between the executive and the legislative council on Tuesday.
The lots, owned by the Sunico siblings, amounted to P14 million, the mayor said. It will be paid using the cash donations the city government received from several line agencies and local government units (LGUs) for the rehabilitation projects, he added.
Evangelista said the two-room housing unit on a 60-square-meter lot is estimated at P268,000.
The housing units would be given free to 943 families from Barangays Ilomavis and Balabag.
Funds for the construction of the housing units would come from the National Housing Authority (NHA), which amounted to at least P243 million.
The signing of the memorandum of agreement between the city government and the NHA is set to take place before Friday.
Evangelista clarified that once the project is completed, the beneficiary cannot, in any way, sell or lease the unit. They are also not allowed to convert the house to a videoke bar.
“Since the city government owns the resettlement area, the beneficiary cannot register it at the Registry of Deeds,” the mayor stressed.
The construction, according to the mayor, is expected to be completed in six months’ time.
The city is among areas Mindanao worst hit by four strong tremors in October that affected at least 11,000 families. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)