Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Lumads benefit from socialized housing

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (04 August 2013) – Indigenous People (IP) or Lumads in the city are set to benefit greatly from socialized housing projects provided by the government.

Last week, City Mayor Ronnel Rivera formally signed the “Pabahay Housing Assistance for Indigenous People” program as proposed by the National Housing Authority-Region 12 (NHA-XII).

During the signing, Rivera said that currently, the local government has no land properties to be used as relocation sites, “but we will innovate to provide the IPs a home of their own.”

Ronaldo Teves, chairman of NHA-XII, in a meeting said that the beneficiaries of the program were identified in coordination with the local indigenous people in Upper Blagan, Barangay San Jose in this city and have been verified by the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP).

The new socialized housing program by the NHA-XII intends to provide decent houses to more than 100 Lumad families in Upper Blagan.

The area to be utilized for the housing program is an ancestral land claimed by the Lumads themselves in Upper Blagan.

According to Teves, an estimated budget of P10M was allocated by NHA for the project.

Each concrete house to be developed will cost more or less P100, 000.

Along with the houses, NHA will also provide roads and drainage.

Upon completion, the NHA will turn over the land to the city government which will properly turn over the project to the targeted beneficiaries.

Rivera recognized the presence of informal settlers in the city that is why he is closely working with NHA and the City Housing and Land Management Office in looking for additional relocation sites. (GENSAN INFO OFFICE/Ian John M. Lagare)

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