Pagadian City fire victims get new houses

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?&sid=6&pfn=808122&arch=1&go=Go&search_arch=Pagadian%20City&andor=and&mdte_arch=9&ddte_arch=0&ydte_arch=2015

 Teresita Amoroso, City Social Welfare 

and Development Office (CSWDO) chief

By Hirohito D. Cadion

 

PAGADIAN CITY, Sept. 25 –- The local government has transferred on Thursday the 727 fire victim families to the resettlement sites from this city’s gymnasium and covered court.

Teresita Amoroso, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) chief, told the Philippines News Agency the fire victim families were transferred to the 727 newly-completed houses the city government has constructed in two resettlement sites.

Amoroso said the city government is set to construct 1,407 housing units, 727 of which have been completed while the construction of the remaining 680 units are ongoing.

Amoroso said that 353 of the 1,407 housing units will be constructed at the resettlement site in Barangay Nazareth while 1,054 in Barangay San Pedro including 210 units at a private-owned lot.

She said 230 of the 353 housing units to be constructed in Barangay Nazareth were completed while 497 of the 1,054 units were also completed in Barangay San Pedro.

Records of the CSWDO showed that 2,007 families from Barangays Santiago, San Pedro and Kawit lost their homes in a fire last June 1. Most of the burned houses were made of light materials.

The fire started at one of the houses in Barangay Santiago and strong winds fanned the blaze towards Barangays San Pedro and Kawit.

Meanwhile, Amoroso disclosed that only 1,407 of the 2,007 fire victim families owned their houses while the remaining 600 are house renters.

Of the 2,007 families, Amoroso further disclosed that 1,197 of them are informal settlers.

She said the city government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have extended financial assistance to the fire victims.

She said each of the house owners received PHP7,500 from the city government and additional PHP30,000 from the DSWD.

She added each of the house renters received PHP7,500 from the city government and PHP5,000 from the DSWD.

She said the fire victims housed at the San Pedro Elementary school will be transferred anytime to the resettlement sites while those temporarily housed near the fish port before the end of this year. (PNA)

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