By Elmer V . Recuerdo

Balangiga , Eastern Samar – Residents of this sleepy coastal town that was made famous for its rousing campaign against American soldiers during the Philippine-American War are once again up in arms , this time against the “ terribly ” built houses that the government is constructing for its residents living along designated danger zones .

They are asking the municipal government to stop a private contractor from doing further construction activities until this is fully investigated and a safety clearance has been issued by a structural engineer .

Through the nongovernment Katarungan Eastern Visayas , a fact-finding mission was organized to verify reports that the houses are poorly constructed amid complaints of some supposed beneficiaries that the houses are haphazardly done and that some of the concrete houses shake when the wall is pushed .

Among the participants of the fact-finding mission were staff of the mayor ’ s office , the municipal engineer , representatives of nongovernment organizations involved in housing projects , members of the local media , and community organizations targeted to relocate in these houses .

“ These are dancing houses ,” commented one radio reporter when an almost finished house shook a bit when somebody pushed the wall . This shaking of the structure happened in at least four houses that were checked .

“ We have noticed that the houses are not built well . It is not safe to live here ,” says Tessie Elacion , vice chair of Kusog Este , a community organization that is advocating for a consultative and community-driven housing project for families that will displaced due to declaration of no-build-zone areas .

“ Look at the foundation , it is not even six inches deep ,”

she pointed to some rectangular holes on the ground where posts will be set . “ The posts are partly made of hollow blocks , not solid concrete . No wonder the walls shake when you push it .”

“ The roof are of very thin galvanized iron that some of them have already been blown away during typhoon Marce ,” Elacion added . She said their members have been monitoring the construction of houses where they will be relocated .

Norberto Bagunas , who works at the municipal agriculturist office , says he is reluctant to live in such a house out of fear for safety of his family . “ I feel safer living in our house that is in a danger zone than staying here . I am afraid this will collapse anytime ,” he said .

Bagunas said the local government must order to stop the construction of these houses until a full investigation is done by a structural engineer to check the integrity of these houses .

Municipal engineer Fiel Inting is convinced that the house does not look safe for families who will live there . “ The workmanship is not of standard quality . They are terribly built . You will see iron bars where they are not supposed to be seen , and

don ’ t see them where they are needed ,” he says . “ For me this is not fit for occupancy .”

Inting said he will not sign any occupancy permit if the concerns he raised are not addressed by the contractor . He said that in August this year , he advised the contractors of the defects he noticed during an inspection done in July .

“ These problems now are the same problems that were observed during my first visit . I already gave them my recommendations on what need to be fixed but I don ’ t think they are acting on them ,” he said . “ The contractor should not be paid unless this is fixed .”

No promise land

Compared with its neighboring municipalities , the town of Balangiga is already way ahead in the socialized housing program for people living along high-risk areas that were designated as nobuild zones . Most other towns could not take off due to absence of land titles required by the National Housing Authority for the proposed sites of the project .

A land rights advocacy group , Katarungan – Eastern Visayas , is urging the government to prioritize fixing

the land ownership issue to address the problem on scarcity of land appropriate for the socialized housing . Most of the lands in Eastern Samar have no titles and ownership is determined through tax declaration , which is not acceptable to NHA .

According to Rina Reyes , regional coordinator of Katarunagn , most of the lands are already covered by certificate of land ownership award under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program but the land titles have not yet been distributed to the beneficiaries .

“ The issue on titling should be given priority as most LGUs cite this as a hindrance to the implementation ,” Reyes said . She also urged LGUs to exercise the power of eminent domain as most landowners do not want their lands used for the socialized housing . Since only few lands are

Tacloban City ( PNA ) - The government has relocated more than 800 families in less than a month after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered providing Typhoon Yolanda-affected families decent homes , a Palace official said .

In a press briefing in Malacanan on Tuesday , Dec . 6 Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said that based on the report the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino , the government has successfully relocated 827 Yolanda families out of 911 that was ruffled to their new homes as of December 3 , 2016 .

This is done just 26 days after President Duterte issued an instruction to relocate the beneficiaries to their new homes .

“ OPAV expects more families to be relocated to their new homes before Christmas

covered with titles , many local government units have designated permanent relocation sites on areas that are far from the source of livelihood of the beneficiaries .

In Balangiga , for example , the permanent relocation site is over three kilometers from the shore when most of the beneficiaries are fishermen . A local community organization has identified an area around 100 meters from the shore as their preferred relocation site but the land , which is already covered by a CLOA , remains untitled .

The residents along coastal barangays are also asking the government to come up with a clear demarcation on what will be covered by the 40-meter no build zone . The absence of a guideline on this is the main reason why no list of families that will be relocated has been drawn so far .#

as soon as other relocation sites are ready complete with electrical connection and potable water supply ,” Abella said quoting Dino .

Also , Abella said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III presented last night , during the Cabinet meeting , the proposal to acquire Postbank and convert it into an OFW or a workers ’ bank .

“ And this particular move is an undertaking to show appreciation for the OFWs as our modern-day heroes ,” he said .

Remittances account for 9.8 of gross domestic product and 8.3 of gross national income . Therefore , there ’ s a need now for a more specialized financial institution for OFWs to cater to their needs and aspirations , Abella added .

The Palace spokesman

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