According to Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, the first 1,100 transitional housing units will start construction on or before September 8 to immediately decongest the packed evacuation centers where more than 5,000 families of evacuees are currently seeking shelter.
Last Wednesday, August 2, Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario flew to Marawi City with the heads of the key shelter agencies (KSAs) to conduct a site inspection of the proposed 11-hectare land at Barangay Sagonsongan where the first 1,100 transitional houses will be built.
The initial 1,100 target of housing units is intended to immediately decongest the packed evacuation centers where more than 5,000 families are currently seeking shelter. The figure will be adjusted after the completion of the post-conflict needs assessment when the figures on the transitional housing and permanent housing needs, including the number of IDPs returning to their respective residence, are then established.
The proposed site was identified by the local government of Marawi City including an additional two sites in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur and Brgy. Bangon Marawi, Marawi City that can accommodate 1,600 houses if the current site is insufficient.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will jointly undertake the implementation of the program. As agreed, NHA will prepare and transmit the site development and subdivision plan to DPWH by August 15, 2017.
The DPWH, in turn, is expected the execute the site development within one to two months. At the same time, construction of the transitional shelters will already start on the first week of September.
During the site inspection, a public consultation on August 3 was held with the affected families and the LGU officials to identify the appropriate solutions according to the families’ housing needs. Based on the consultation, the target family-beneficiaries represented by the barangay captains expressed their preference for a single-detached unit with own toilet.
The LGU-Marawi and NHA constructed two housing models on site, a 24sqm housing unit and a 26sqm pre-fabricated housing prototype, respectively, that the evacuees may also choose from. See below.
The site visit was undertaken with Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr., Task Force Bangon Marawi Undersecretary Cesar Yano, NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada, Jr., DPWH Senior Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, PagIBIG CEO Acmad Moti and other officials.