Construction of the National Housing Authority (NHA) VIII’s additional Yolanda Permanent Housing Projects in Barugo, Leyte are close to completion according to the latest project inspection report of the Regional Development Council VIII-Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RDC VIII-RPMC).

Physical accomplishment of Phases 1 and 2 of the Barugo Town Ville is over 97 percent complete, with only subdivision survey and electrical works for the houses remaining. Under the two projects, a total of 788 housing units were constructed.

The projects are expected to be completed in October of this year.

Although physical construction of the housing units is almost complete, no raffle has been conducted yet to assign owners to the housing units. Hence, the RDC VIII-RPMC recommended for the NHA VIII to coordinate with the Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) of Barugo, Leyte to finalize the list of beneficiaries to facilitate raffling of the units. Moreover, the project site still lacks a permanent water supply. The RDC VIII-RPMC Monitoring Team also recommended for the NHA and the LGU to request the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to fund the construction of the water supply system. The Metro Carigara Water District (MCWD) already issued a certification that they can provide water supply to the site.

In Villaba, Leyte, the 358-unit Villa Verde Housing Project is slightly behind schedule, with a negative 3.93 slippage. The project is now 95.3 percent completed.

All 358 units have already been turned over to LGU-Villaba and raffled-out, of which, 321 units are now occupied.

Remaining works for the project are the subdivision survey, installation of the electrical system, and the construction of a water system.

The monitoring team has already recommended that LEYECO V fast-track the installation of electrical lines for the area to provide the houses with electricity, and that NHA VIII coordinate closely with LWUA to fund the construction of a permanent water-supply system for the area.

Meanwhile, the Villaba Housing Project is experiencing a negative slippage of 10.12 percent. Delays in the construction were attributed to the issuance of a cease-and-desist order by the municipal mayor for almost two years due to unstable foundation in the adjacent barangay which may also be the case in the resettlement site.

Based on a soil exploration test conducted by the developer, MGB VIII concluded that the site is safe for construction, paving the way for continuation of works in March of this year.

The project was also affected by the delays in the delivery of construction materials and reduced number of workers due to the strict implementation of community quarantine in the area.

The monitoring team recommended that the NHA VIII compel the contractor to come up with a catch-up plan to ensure that construction will meet the target completion date of February 2022.

In Dulag, Leyte, construction of the Dulag Town Ville Phases 1 to 3 is on-going with minimal slippage.

Dulag Town Ville Phase 1 is 62.92 percent completed. Four hundred twelve units out of the targeted 500 are already substantially completed. Construction is moving swiftly and is 3.43 percent ahead of schedule. Phase 2, on the other hand, is slightly behind schedule with a negative 4.24 percent slippage. Physical accomplishment is 73.9 percent with 96 of the targeted 340 units already substantially completed. Phase 3 is already 78.28 completed, with a minimal slippage of 0.53 percent. Currently, 277 out of the 340 target units have been substantially completed.

DORELCO has already submitted the design for electrical lines for the area in August 2021, while the contractor has committed to pay DORELCO by September 2021.

Phases 2 and 3 of Dulag Town Ville are set to be turned over to the LGU either in October or November 2021.

Finally, the 474-unit Village in Capoocan, Leyte is now ready for turn-over to the LGU of Capoocan. Physical accomplishment stands at 93.48 percent.

185 units have already been raffled on 30 June 2021. The remaining 289 units are yet to be raffled as the list of beneficiaries for the said units is still for validation.

The inspection of the monitoring team was part of the Second Batch 3rd Quarter 2021 RDC VIII-RPMC Field Monitoring Visit on September 1 and 3, 2021.

Article and Photos by:  Knulp Aseo, DRD/ Ana Rose Magdalaga, PMED