Typhoon Sendong victims in Dumaguete City are reminding Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria of his promise to provide them homes before the year ends.
Fr. Burton Villarmente, director of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Dumaguete, has reminded the mayor of the promised relocation site so people living in tent cities can be relocated as soon as possible.
Fr. Villarmente also enjoined political leaders and candidates for the 2016 elections to include in their platform of government programs and projects that will take care of the environment, of the common good over and above the personal and corporate good, as well as address the concerns of victims of calamities.
The housing site relocation for Sendong victims is a joint project of the National Housing Authority and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in cooperation with the city government of Dumaguete.
NHA has advanced several millions of pesos for the acquisition of the lot owned by the Tale family but incurred delays while in the process of seeking an exemption from the Bureau of Internal Revenue regarding the sale of the property.
Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria said the eight-hectare relocation site at Plains View in Barangay Banilad can accommodate 1,000 low cost housing units and that the first phase will consist of 371 units.
Sagarbarria recently went to Cebu to follow-up the funding for the housing project and was assured by DSWD interim regional director under the Negros Island Region Shailyn Lucero Sun the P25 million check, representing the agency’s counterpart for the construction of the units is already ready and will be brought by her when she comes to Dumaguete on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Sagarbarria is hopeful the NHA counterpart for the land acquisition will be downloaded soon so land development of the project site can be started before the end of December this year.
The mayor explained he has asked for an additional of P2 million from NHA to be turned over to the Tale family to be paid to the BIR as inheritance tax. (PNA)
