KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 18 Oct) – Construction works will finally start this week for a P50-million resettlement housing project funded by the national government for informal settlers here.
The local government said the preparations are underway on Monday for the development of the housing units at the 2.8-hectare resettlement site in Barangay New Pangasinan through a joint undertaking with the National Housing Authority (NHA).
City Mayor Eliordo Ogena said the project’s formal groundbreaking ceremony is set on Oct. 21 and will be joined by Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario.
“This groundbreaking is for the actual construction of the housing units,” the mayor said in the city government’s radio program “Tingog sang Pagsanyog.”
NHA and the local government launched last March the initial site development works, which cost around P11.5 million.
Dubbed “Koronadal Cityville,” Ogena said the project is just the start of the local government’s collaboration with NHA and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to provide housing for the area’s informal settlers.
He said the local government received an initial grant of P25 million from NHA and an additional P25 million that will be paid through a housing financing scheme.
The city government has released over P20 million as a counterpart for the project’s implementation, he said.
“I also received a message from DHSUD [regional office] that we will be getting an additional P20 million funding for the project,” Ogena said.
The mayor said they have identified at least 180 informal settler families as initial beneficiaries of the housing project.
He said these are families situated in the danger zones and affected by the ongoing rehabilitation of Blok Creek, a critical waterway traversing the city’s downtown area.
The local government already started the clearing of the creek’s three-meter easement and it will be further cleared to remove other obstructions affecting the flow of water, he said.
Ogena assured that the identified beneficiaries are qualified to receive the housing units as evaluated by a committee created by the city government.
“This is not a dole out. The beneficiaries will be paying for the housing units through a socialized scheme,” he said.
Ogena added that the local government has been making “deliberate efforts” to partner with DHSUD and NHA for the implementation of more housing projects in the city. (MindaNews)