Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) held a coordination meeting on a three-pronged solution to the housing needs of the third district of Negros Occidental at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, today, January 29.
The meeting was triggered by the destruction of houses during the recent floods, “but what we really want is a longer term solution to provide resilient and safe housing options for the citizens of the third district,” said Benitez, who is chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development.
Benitez said they are exploring three different programs to address the housing concerns of the third district.
The short term move is to provide emergency housing assistance, which is an outright grant, while the long term measures will be the relocation of those living in danger or high-risk zones, and those not living in such areas but are effectively informal settler families, Benitez said.
All these programs have to be done in close coordination with the LGUs, he said.
“I am trying to get the LGUs and the central government agencies on the same page to get it going,” he said.
“The LGUs will have to provide the housing agencies with their census studies so that they will know how many households we are talking about,” Benitez said.
The meeting was attended by officials of local government units of the third district, the National Housing Authority, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and Joly Homes Foundation.
NHA Negros Occidental District Manager Alejandro Ongsuco said the housing authority can give P5,000 in immediate cash assistance to those whose houses were destroyed and damaged during the recent floods, and permanent housing as a long term solution for those whose houses were destroyed depending on the requests of Benitez and the LGUs.*