After a long wait and some hitches, the Negros Oriental 2 Electric Cooperative has finally approved some P1.3 million for the construction of the secondary line that will supply power to individual houses at the Caritas Village Phase I in Bajumpandan, Negros Oriental.
Juancho Gallarde, chairman of the Committee on Peace and Order of the Bajumpandan Barangay Council, disclosed Thursday that following the budget allocation, electric poles are expected to be erected at the housing site soon.
Staking at the Phase I site has already started, Gallarde said.
The Dumaguete Caritas Village Shelter Project is composed of two phases in separate locations in the outskirts village of Bajumpandan and provides low-cost housing to some 165 families who were displaced by the tropical storm Sendong in December 2011.
It is a joint undertaking of the Catholic Church through the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action, Caritas, the Diocese of Dumaguete through its Social Action Center and the local government unit of Dumaguete and was the first to provide shelter to “Sendong” victims in Dumaguete City.
Tropical Storm Sendong (international code name Washi) was the deadliest storm to hit the Philippines in 2011 and had left thousands dead and billions of pesos in damages in many parts of the country, including Negros Oriental, whose capital city is Dumaguete.
According to Gallarde, NORECO 2 Board Member James Fontelo called him up recently informing of the approval of the budget for the energization of the Caritas Village Phase I after a meeting of the Board chaired by Atty. Pinky Tagle.
The delay in the supply of electricity to the housing sites was caused by some unexpected events such as a change of leadership at NORECO 2 and the death of its general manager this year, as well as the city government not being able to meet the funding requirements of the said project.
Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria had repeatedly said the city believes it is part of the social responsibility of NORECO 2 to provide power connection to the low-cost housing project sites.
Meanwhile, Fr. Burton Villarmente, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Dumaguete, expressed his gratitude for all the people who painstakingly worked for the approval of the budget for the lighting up of the Caritas Village sites.
The priest, however, aired some apprehensions such as time frame for the completion of the project which he believes is already long overdue.
Fr. Villarmente noted Watts of Love, an international non-profit organization, was way ahead of the local authorities in providing electricity to the Caritas Village residents by giving them solar panel systems.
Gallarde said he believes that the power connection to the two phases of the Caritas Village sites will be completed this year. (PNA)
