CAGAYAN DE ORO City will construct 722 more housing units for Typhoon Sendong survivors before the year ends, said shelter consultant.
Ermin Pimentel, consultant of the Shelter and Housing Development Multi-Sectoral Task Force said that the process of planning and building the houses will be participated by different sectors – similar to housing projects in the cities of Quezon and Valenzuela.
"Ang pamaagi sa pagbuhat sa 722 housing units for Sendong victims, atong imodel ang Valenzuela and Quezon city the way they set-up their housing project, nga klaro ang strong cooperation with the families nga hatagan ug ang City Government," he said.
"This means that gikan sa pag-manage sa relocation, sa pag-start sa plano paingon sa pag-emancipate sa ila, will be participated by all sectors," Pimentel added.
The city administration, together with the national government, had since been prioritizing the construction of relocation sites for the Typhoon Sendong survivors.
The city has commenced its week-long celebration of the National Housing Month on Monday. It not only discussed the present administration's achievements in providing relocation sites to disaster-stricken constituents but also raised the problem of the state of homelessness in Cagayan de Oro.
Pimentel said of the 602,088 people in the city, there are still over 34,000 residents here who have yet to own a house.
He said these families are either displaced due to disasters or migrants who do not own a lot in the city, while others are families living in no-build and danger zones, families that will likely be affected by government infrastructure projects and those belonging to the ranks of informal dwellers that are expected to rise with the continuing urbanization of the city.
"Atong gaapason karon ang backlog sa mga homeless families because this data is in 2013 pa, so unsa nalang karon nga 2016 nata? I would guess mudagan na ang homeless sa 40,000 considering sa growth rate sa city and daghan napud ang nag-migrate," Pimentel said.
Last year, the City Government has created a Shelter Plan that aimed to look for more than 700 hectares of resettlement areas in seven years for about 35,000 households.
Pimentel said the city has built some 40 relocation sites because of the city's Piso-Piso program other than the donated housing projects for typhoon Sendong survivors.
Pimentel said with the second term of city mayor Oscar Moreno, they want to provide homes for all homeless families.
