Tuesday, November 04, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
By Lydia C. Pendon
VICE President Noli de Castro will lead the groundbreaking ceremony for 500 houses to be initially built at the city-owned San Isidro, Jaro relocation site on November 21.
The event is expected to signal the start of the construction of houses intended for the informal settlers displaced by the mega-flood control project and families affected by typhoon Frank last June 21.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the 500 houses are part of the national government’s pro-poor concern and spearheaded by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Center (HUDCC), Department of Social Welfare and Development and United National Habitat for Humanity program.
Treñas said aside from the HUDCC-Habitat housing project, the 16-hectare San Isidro relocation site will also host the 450 housing units of Gawad Kalinga; of which, 150 units are sponsored by the congressional funds of Iloilo City Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr., 50 units will be funded by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, and another 60 units by Panay Electric Company (Peco).
The relocation site will also host 120 housing units to be funded by the Cliff of urban poor people’s organizations and another 500 units which may be funded by the Italian government.
The beneficiaries are informal settlers displaced by government projects, calamity victims, those who are subject for ejection by the lot owner and those who live in danger zones.