City up with housing project to benefit Alaska fire victims

CEBU, Philippines - The first-ever rent-a-house scheme of the Cebu City government is seen to benefit 270 “extremely poor” households in Alaska, barangay Mambaling whose houses were gutted down in a recent fire.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo, City Disaster Coordinating Council action officer, yesterday said that “Project Pagbanhaw” will be implemented by the city government in coordination with the Pagtambayayong Foundation, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., and the beneficiaries themselves.

He explained that the 270 households will be given a block in the same area and that each household will be given a 28-square-meter space. Rental fee for each home lot is P10 daily or P300 monthly for 10 years. 

He said that the project will be implemented in three phases – the fixing of the security of tenure, the site upgrading, and the construction of firewalls.

For security of tenure, the leasehold contract will be for 10 years to be made renewable once the provisions are followed. Site upgrade includes land filling and the construction of ripraps in swampy and or submerged areas.

Pagtambayayong will take care of the construction of the model house, while the city government and RAFI will provide galvanized iron sheets and other construction materials.

Beneficiaries will be tapped for manpower in both the construction of the dikes and their own houses. Meals, for a day’s work, will be provided while construction is ongoing.

Total cost of the project is pegged at P6.5 million.

The project, Carillo said, is in response to the plea of the victims that they be allowed to stay in the area where they have lived for quite a long time already despite having suffered the same fate in the same area two years ago.

Momentarily, the affected residents are housed at the Viking Sports Complex. — Ferliza C. Contratista/MEEV   (THE FREEMAN)