MORE THAN five years after super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck the country, with the Visayas islands the most affected, only 731 out of 5,272 housing units built in Cebu are occupied, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo B. Nograles. The completed houses are in the northern municipalities of Daan Bantayan, Bantayan, Sta. Fe, Medellin, San Remegio, Tabogon, and Madridejos. “Our challenge therefore is to find out why this is so and come up with viable solutions in completing the housing construction and addressing the low occupancy issue,” said Mr. Nograles who was in Cebu last week for a Cabinet Assistance System meeting with mayors of Yolanda-affected areas in Cebu. Under the rehabilitation program, a total of 22,423 houses are supposed to be built for the typhoon victims in the province. Mr. Nograles called on local government units to reactivate and strengthen the Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) to address the low completion rate of construction and the occupancy issues. “The LIACs play a crucial role in addressing the gaps in the Yolanda housing program so we can fully bring Yolanda rehabilitation and recovery to a successful conclusion,” he said. — The Freeman

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