Thursday, August 20, 2009 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
By Lydia C. Pendon
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) held a ground breaking rites Thursday at the site the proposed housing project for retired, regular and casual employees of the agency in Iloilo City.
The project will rise at the five-hectare lot inside the 62-hectare Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (Wesviarc) compound at Barangay Buntatala in Jaro district.
Larry Nacionales, DA director in Western Visayas, said the housing project will accommodate 300 housing units at 100 square meters each of the 300 qualified beneficiaries.
Qualified beneficiaries are those who are permanent or casual employees with at least five years of employment as of June 30, 2003; those with at least five years of employment from June 30, 2003 or earlier to July 20, 2009; and those who retired from the service effective July 1, 2003 to July 39, 2009 and with at least five years of employment.
The groundbreaking ceremony was witnessed by DA Assistant Secretary Clayton Olalia, Presidential Assistant Raul Banias and Presidential Assistant for Agriculture Licurgo Tirador.
Presidential Proclamation 1801 was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 10, 2009 providing for “reserving certain parcels of land within the Wesviarc for housing site purposes of the DA regional field unit No. 6 situated in Hamungaya, Brgy. Buntatala, district of Jaro, city of Iloilo, island of Panay.”
A committee was created and headed by DA acting Regional Technical director Joyce Wendam.
Nacionales said another five hectares beside the housing project lot will also be allotted for livelihood programs of the beneficiaries that will become a model and show window for food production.
A house model costing some P350,000 was presented to the beneficiaries who will source the construction fund from their Pag-ibig and Government Service Insurance Service housing loans.
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