By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, July 19 (PIA)-–Some 371 identified victims of Typhoon Sendong in 2011 will be relocated and granted their own homes after the current city administration rallied enough political will and strongly pushed to clear the 3.3-hectare land.
The title of the land being disputed has been transferred to the National Housing Authority (NHA) in 2014 and will be donated to the city government, city officials said.
Attempts to clear the lot and secure it for site development by the previous administration failed after the families of the tenant resisted leading to the years of delay of the project that could save more families from the threats of a flood.
On Tuesday, Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo led several teams of enforcers, peace officers, social workers, medical and rescue personnel along with heavy equipment deployed by the city to clear and fence the lot so that civil works and development could begin.
But Mayor Remollo assured that the eight houses owned by the families who are children of the lone tenant Rogelio Linaban will not be demolished but only the trees and other obstructions. Linaban is also supposed to receive disturbance compensation.
Each beneficiary will get one housing unit amounting to Php190, 000 through a counterpart scheme: Php40, 000 from NHA and Php150, 000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
There are currently 80 families now in two relocations sites rented by the city government in Barangays Junob and Bagacay. (jct/PIA7-Negros Oriental with reports from Dems Demecillo)
