The provincial government of Negros Occidental has received financial aid worth PHP90 million from the National Housing Authority (NHA) to help rebuild homes of Negrenses damaged during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
The assistance was turned over by NHA-Western Visayas Chief Corporate Attorney John Leo Solinap and Negros Occidental District Officer-in-Charge Liezl Miquit to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II in a ceremony witnessed by local chief executives and other officials at the Capitol Social Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
“To President Rodrigo Duterte and the NHA, thank you for your timely response to the dire need of our people to restore their homes,” Lacson said in his message.
He noted that almost two weeks after “Odette”, the province urgently needs to rebuild 190,868 partially damaged houses and 65,871 totally destroyed dwellings.
“For many of the displaced Negrense families, the trauma and suffering is unbearable. It is extremely taxing for families to try rebuilding their homes while starving and thirsty,” the governor said.
He urged the concerned city and municipal mayors to continue enhancing their coordination and put in place a systematic distribution of aid to ensure that everyone affected will be able to receive the assistance they need.
Solinap said through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), the NHA aims to assist typhoon-affected residents of Negros Occidental in the aspect of recovery and rebuilding.
“We hope that the emergency housing assistance being turned over to the province can make a difference and help the affected residents in recovering from this recent tragedy,” he added.
The housing assistance was received by the provincial government nine days after Duterte, together with Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and some Cabinet officials, visited Kabankalan City, one of the hardest-hit by the typhoon.
Several areas in southern Negros, including the cities of Kabankalan and Sipalay as well as the municipalities of Ilog, Candoni, Cauayan, and Hinobaan experienced strong winds, heavy rains, and widespread floods when “Odette” slammed into the province overnight on December 16.
