The National Housing Authority in Central Visayas (NHA 7) has funds worth P742.2 million allocated exclusively for Cebu Province under the agency’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP).
However, NHA 7 director Rizalino Cabahug told Gov. Gwen Garcia in a meeting at the Capitol on March 25 that they have to distribute the funds to qualified beneficiaries by June this year, or else these shall go back to the coffers of the national government.
According to the NHA website, EHAP is intended to provide financial assistance to NHA housing beneficiaries affected by calamities or certain incidents.
Director Cabahug originally proposed to Gov. Garcia the prioritization of over 70,000 beneficiaries identified by DSWD whose houses were either severely or totally damaged by Supertyphoon Odette in December 2021.
However, Gov. Garcia said that the Capitol already has the system in place through the Dasig Sugbo Program where over P1.8 billion of Capitol funds were distributed to 428,994 Cebuano household-victims of Odette via QR-coded cards.
Through the Dasign Sugbo cards, beneficiaries whose houses were partially, severely, and totally damaged by Odette could redeem housing materials and grocery supplies from the Capitol’s partner stores cashless, thereby ensuring that government funds are spent for their intended purpose.
“Actually, uyon gyod kaayo ta ato, no, kay murag mao man gyod toy pinaka-efficient nga pag-apod sa atong pundo sa mga pamilya nga naapektuhan sa Supertyphoon Odette,” Director Cabahug told Sugbo News.
“Makita gyod nato nga ang pundo kon ipaagi didto sa Dasig Sugbo cards, mapalit gyod ang kon unsay mapalit nga basic necessities sa tawo,” he added. | Mary Ann Malaya