Housing task force to assist Zambo siege victims – Binay

MANILA, Philippines - A multi-agency task force created to address the housing problem of quake victims in Bohol and Cebu will handle the need for shelter of the evacuees in the Zamboanga siege, Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

“We decided to include Zamboanga in the areas covered by the task force. Our goal is to provide immediate assistance to the affected residents,” he said.

The Vice President said having a single task force to take care of the problem would maximize government resources and avoid duplication and overlapping of functions.

He cited a report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) showing 10,160 houses damaged in the Zamboanga armed conflict and 53,439 in the Visayas quake.

Binay has tapped both the national government agencies and the local government units to help in the construction of houses in Bohol and Cebu.

He said they would also seek the help of the private sector and the foreign community.

Binay said aside from the shelter agencies under Housing Urban Development Coordinating  Council (HUDCC), the housing rehabilitation task force will include the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works and Highways, Social Welfare and Development and the Interior and Local Government.

The HUDCC is composed of the National Housing Authority, Home Development Mutual (Pag-IBIG) Fund, Home Guaranty Corp., Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. and the Social Housing Finance Corp.

As of Sept. 30, the Pag-IBIG Fund has released a total of P32 million in calamity loans in Zamboanga.

Binay said Pag-IBIG has approved 1,732 loan applications of members affected by the armed conflict.

“Pag-IBIG is committed to help ease the suffering of the people of Zamboanga and assist them as they recover from the crisis,” he said, adding the shelter agency is also offering a three-month moratorium on housing loan payments for borrowers whose properties were damaged in the firefight.       – With Michelle Zoleta