Iloilo city: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has committed financial support for the Purok Resilience Program and classroom needs of Iloilo province. Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. on Thursday said that he had a brief meeting with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who visited the wake of Due±as, Iloilo Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan on Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Defensor stated during a press conference that the meeting with Secretary Remulla was brief yet conveyed a serious commitment to the province's initiatives. Defensor mentioned that the province has already engaged with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to prepare a program proposal for the secretary's consideration. The Purok Resilience Program is designed to relocate families from danger zones by constructing socialized housing within safer areas of their barangay.

Defensor highlighted that the province has the capacity to allocate PHP40 million annually but noted this amount could only support a single project. He expressed the need for partnerships to enhance the reach and effectiveness of the program, ideally with three partners involved. Currently, the Purok Resilience Program is underway with a 30-unit housing project and a land development initiative in Barangay Nanga, Batad. The project includes an access road and street lights, and it represents a collaborative effort with an agrarian reform community, housing a socialized project and a rice processing center, supported by a PHP7 million storage house provided by the province.

Additionally, Defensor expressed the intention to relocate families residing in landslide-prone areas and mentioned the potential establishment of a similar initiative in the town of Pototan.