Antique: Four hundred families displaced by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013 will soon receive their housing units following a raffle earlier this week, an official said Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Eby Archangel Butiong, head of the Provincial Housing and Regulatory Office, stated that out of the 1,700 housing units constructed by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in Paradise Village in Barangay Lacayon, Bugasong town, 400 were raffled off to the beneficiaries on Monday. The beneficiaries will be able to inhabit their housing units once they have their electrical lines connected and minor repair works are completed.

Although the construction of the units was finalized in 2019, they were not received by the local government due to potential soil erosion risks and the absence of a water system. Some units also required minor repairs due to vandalism. A series of coordination meetings between officials and stakeholders resulted in the decision to condemn 31 housing units deemed unsafe for resettlement.

The Bugasong Local Waterworks Utilities Administration has shown interest in establishing a pumping station in Lacayon to provide potable water for the resettlement site. The contractor, Edd Mari Developer, has committed to address the necessary repairs, including replacing door knobs and jalousie windows removed by vandals.

The Provincial Housing and Regulatory Office plans to conduct more raffles until all remaining units are turned over to the designated beneficiaries within the year. Prior to this raffle, 770 housing units had already been transferred to Yolanda victims in Barangay Lugta, Laua-an municipality.