TACLOBAN CITY (CIO 02/19/2020) — According to City Housing and Community Development Office (CHCDO) Officer-in-Charge Tedence Jopson, the issuance of the violation notice was enforced under the Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) and Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez call for an investigation and findings.

“This came from the LIAC report…most of those houses that were awarded as early as 2017 were not occupied because they (awardees) still have houses in the City proper,” the official said.

Jopson also added that other beneficiaries violated some occupancy terms and conditions stipulated in the Permanent Housing Project for the Victims of Typhoon Yolanda agreement.

“Base han occupancy rule, kun lumakat an usa nga benepisyaryo ha ira balay na waray pasabot ha National Housing Authority Management or ha Local Government ha sulod hin usa (1) ka bulan, hiya in tatagan hin angay nga disiplina or mawawarayan hiya hin benepisyo. An balay in ikokonsidera nga bakante ngan an gobyerno na an may katungod ihatag an housing unit ha iba nga qualified,” he explained.

Also, as the City Government of Tacloban strictly implements the voluntary demolition of their houses where they originated, they were given the privilege to be relocated to their respective housing units.

“We have been doing demolition and we’ve noticed that those families were already awarded, yet they do not move… though we advised them to stay in their relocation sites,” said Jopson.

Meantime, CHCDO clarified that before the official confiscation, this will first go through due process, as the beneficiaries will be given a chance to explain and present evidence.

If proven that the awardee violated certain provisions of the agreement, the local government will confiscate the housing unit and award it to deserving Taclobanons living in danger zones who were not yet given units in the resettlement sites.

As of February, two housing units in one of the relocation areas in the northern part of the City have been waived to the CHCDO.

Meanwhile, the City Government is also considering filing charges against those who were involved in the selling or buying the awarded housing units. – c. Merin/CIO

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Photo: D. Abarquez/CIO