• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo announced yesterday the availability of a one hectare relocation site for 362 families in Barangay Inolingan, Moises Padilla.
The homes of 362 families were destroyed by flooding which was triggered by Typhoon Tino.
Yulo said the relocation site, which will be donated by her uncle, Eric Golez, will be given free of charge to the homeless families.
During a meeting on Wednesday at the town municipal auditorium with affected residents and barangay officials, Yulo said that the national government has designated the former residential areas of the 362 households as no-build zones due to life-threatening risks.
With the donation of a one-hectare lot, Yulo said it will allow faster development of the area, compared to purchasing land, which requires lengthy documentation.
The mayor clarified that said relocation is voluntary.
To support housing construction, Yulo said she will seek additional assistance from the Negros Occidental provincial government and 5th district Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo to secure building materials.
She also said that the P10 million Presidential Assistance Fund given to Moises Padilla will be used to finance high-impact community projects, such as the repair of hanging footbridge between Barangay Guinpana-an and Barangay Quintin Remo, or the procurement of housing materials for the relocation site.
If the assistance will be distributed, Yulo said it is only equivalent to about P800 per affected family.
With limited resources, the mayor asked town residents to participate in community labor, to accelerate the construction of their new homes.
Given the widespread loss of homes and belongings, Yulo said the LGU is considering modular learning as an immediate solution while families recover, noting that many students are not yet ready to return to face-to-face classes.*
