By Lilian Mellejor/PNA
TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — The National Housing Authority (NHA) is giving Tagum City an additional PHP150 million for the construction of 336 housing units for informal settlers in Purok Abaca, Barangay Mankilam.
This was announced by Marcelino Escalada Jr., secretary general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and NHA general manager during the groundbreaking ceremony of the land development of the five-hectare Fe Village in Purok Abaca on Friday.
The amount is on top of the PHP24 million allocated by the national government to the city’s housing project under the Resettlement Assistance Program for Local Government Unit (RAP-LGU).
Escalada said the PHP150 million is for the construction of the housing units recoverable through a monthly amortization by the beneficiaries at a monthly rate of PHP200 to PHP600.
On the other hand, the PHP24 million is extended to the LGU.
Escalada said that because Tagum City applied for the program early last year, it is still covered by the old policy wherein 50 percent of the PHP24 million is recoverable and the other half is a grant from the NHA.
Under the Duterte Administration, the assistance under RAP-LGU has already increased to PHP50 million, which will be used either for land acquisition or land development and construction of houses.
“RAP-LGU is one of the programs of the NHA in close coordination with the local government unit. All LGUs can avail of the PHP50 million either for land acquisition or for developing and constructing houses. Tagum City is using the money for land development,” Escalada said in an interview at the sidelines of the ground-breaking ceremony.
Escalada said he wanted the LGU to avail of a complete cycle for the housing project and has committed the PHP150 million for the construction of houses. Each unit (raw house at 28 square meters) costs PHP350,000 with one partition and tiled floor.
He said about 13,000 applicants have already expressed interest to avail of the housing project. The beneficiaries will be identified by the housing office of Tagum City.
Mayor Allan Rellon was elated over the PHP150-million additional assistance, adding that the local government’s housing team will look at the NHA model for condominium-type housing.
Rellon, speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony, said the target beneficiaries are informal families and those living in danger zones.
He said he would also offer the housing units to the families that will be affected by the Mindanao Railway System project.
“If they are interested to locate in Fe Village, I will offer this to them,” Rellon added.
