QUEZON CITY --The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), thru its key shelter agency National Housing Authority (NHA), has readied 950 housing units for families affected by the ongoing activities of Taal Volcano.
DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario said that there are currently 950 housing units in the towns of Sariaya and Tiaong both in Quezon province, being offered by the NHA.
“These housing units are readily available to serve as temporary or permanent shelters for those affected by the Taal volcano eruption,” Secretary Del Rosario said.
“The Office of Civil Defense, the Department of Interior and Local Government, as well as the NHA, have already inspected the housing units and they can be utilized whenever the need arises,” the housing czar added.
The DHSUD chief likewise announced that the Social Housing Finance Corporation, another attached key shelter agency of the department, will provide assistance to families within affected areas through its Community Mortgage Program.
“The government, through DHSUD, is always ready to provide necessary assistance to families affected by disasters. It is part of the Department’s mandate to help relocate and provide decent housing to those impacted by calamities,” Secretary Del Rosario said.
Meanwhile, DHSUD-Regional Office 4A Director Jann Roby Otero said that in coordination with his NHA counterpart, they have started preparation for the provision of temporary electricity and water supply in the Sariaya and Tiaong sites just in case they will be utilized.
Otero added that profiling of houses and intended beneficiary families are underway.
Prior to the latest eruption of Taal Volcano, DHSUD has been actively engaging local government units affected by the January 2020 eruption.
In fact, a memorandum of agreement was signed with the Mataasnakahoy LGU for the establishment of an evacuation center. Two more similar MOAs are in the pipeline with two other Batangas LGUs.
DHSUD also allotted funds for other LGUs affected by the Taal Volcano eruption in 2020 to assist them in relocating their constituents out of harm’s way.
