NAVAL, Biliran, (PIA) – The Yolanda affected families in Naval have something positive to look forward to as the local officials of the capital town of Biliran province is currently in the thick of preparations for the establishment of their proposed resettlement site.

Naval Mayor Susan V. Parilla said in an interview that they are preparing the documents required by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the establishment of a resettlement site for the past two months already.

“We already identified the lower part of Barangay Haguikhikan, an area with a slightly slopy terrain, as the proposed resettlement site of the municipality” Parilla added.

The lady mayor further said that she personally conducted an ocular inspection to other identified proposed sites for the establishment of resettlement site in town but unfortunately it did not pass the standards set by NHA.

She added that LGU-Naval has set the safety of the area as the top priority in the selection of the resettlement site for the town.

However, Parilla clarified that she also consider accommodating the families living in hazardous places in the municipality like in flood and landslide prone areas and those living within the 40 meters no-build zone as identified, based on a survey conducted by the provincial office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aside from the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

It was learned that the housing agency of the government allocated some 1,000 housing units for the resettlement site in the municipality of Naval based on the document submitted by the agency to the Office of the Presidential Recovery and Reconstruction (OPARR) led by former senator Panfilo Lacson.

NHA has also allocated 559 housing units for Almeria, 777 housing units for Biliran, 900 housing units for Cabucgayan, 788 housing units for Caibiran and 360 housing units for Culaba based on the document submitted to OPARR.

It was learned from Flordeliza Trani, provincial social welfare and development officer in Biliran province that the provincial government of Biliran has requested OPARR for more than 11,000 housing units for the province. (PIA 8-Biliran)