TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) --  The city government of Tuguegarao has turned over 35 housing units to the city’s marginalized families.

The housing projects were constructed through the ‘Bahayanihan’ program of the city government, in partnership with the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce Tuguegarao, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and other civic and volunteer organizations.

Mayor Maila Rosario Ting-Que said the project aims to help economically challenged families by providing them with safe and comfortable abodes.

The mayor said the ‘Bahayanihan’ program is a unique way of supporting the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

Last year, 11 units were successfully turned over to the identified family beneficiaries as part of the first batch of the project. Six units were completed and turned over for the second batch while the other 14 units are about to be completed.

Aside from the 32 units, the Filipino Chinese Chamber has also donated another three Bahayanihan projects to selected beneficiaries in the city.

The mayor said that seeing the need to continue with the program, another 30 units will be constructed within the year.

She said the next housing units will be from the 2024 budget under the city’s disaster risk reduction and management program. 

“This will already be part of the disaster resiliency program of the city, especially during typhoons and floods. We are frequently visited by typhoons that usually cause floods in some parts of the city that is why we need to provide our residents with sturdy and safe shelters,” said Ting-Que.

She said, however, that the families must have their lot to where the housing unit will be constructed as their counterpart to be qualified for the program aside from the requirement that they should belong to the poorest of the poor who are incapable of building resilient houses. 

She also ensured that the Bahayanihan project would be extended to qualified beneficiaries in every barangay in the city throughout her term. (OTB/PIA Region 2)