Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo said on Wednesday, Nov. 19, that 362 families cannot return to the sites where their Typhoon “Tino” destroyed homes were located in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, as they have been declared permanent no-build zones by the national government due to immediate danger to life and safety.
The mayor, in a meeting with the affected residents at the municipal auditorium, said that a free one-hectare relocation site in Barangay Inolingan, Moises Padilla, is available to those who cannot return to the no-build zones.
The one-hectare relocation site in Barangay Inolingan will be donated by the mayor’s uncle, Eric Golez. However, relocation remains voluntary, as some residents stated they already have alternative places to transfer, a press release from Moises Padilla said.
Garcia-Yulo said that donated land requiring only a Deed of Donation would allow for a much faster way for affected residents to rebuild their homes than proposals for land purchase, which would require extensive documentation and processing time.
Yulo said she will seek assistance from the provincial government and Rep. Emilio “Dino” Yulo (Neg. Occ., 5th District) for materials needed for the construction of the houses in the relocation site.
She also said the P10 million aid received by Moises Padilla from the Office of the President will be used for high-impact community projects, such as the repair of the hanging footbridge connecting barangays Guinpana-an and Quintin Remo, or for the purchase of housing materials for the relocation site.
Due to budget constraints, the mayor asked affected residents to commit to helping build their new homes to expedite construction.
Garcia-Yulo instructed the punong barangays to immediately list and secure statements of intent from residents who agree to relocate to the Barangay Inolingan site.
The mayor clarified that the cash assistance for destroyed and damaged houses will be distributed directly by the national government, not the local government.
There were 362 houses swept away by the flood where residents cannot return to the land they previously occupied, 566 destroyed houses where residents can still return to the land they lived on, and 3,856 houses that sustained less than 50 percent damage, a Moises Padilla report said.
The mayor also said she would consider modular classes as an immediate solution after residents who lost their homes and clothes said their children were not ready to return to regular face-to-face classes yet. *
Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo meets with families who cannot return to no-build zones.*