Over 71,000 survivors of Super Typhoon “Odette” in the Province of Cebu have not received their P10,000 housing assistance from the National Housing Authority (NHA). A total of P712,090,000 NHA funds have instead been reverted to the National Treasury.
Engr. Hermes Jude Juntillo, regional manager of NHA 7, said that they distributed assistance completely to 11,009 beneficiaries in Cebu City, 12,258 in Mandaue City, and 22,640 in Lapu-Lapu City. However, only 1,000 beneficiaries of a total of 72,209 in the towns and component cities of Cebu Province received the housing assistance.
At least 555 are from Carcar City, while 445 are from the City of Naga. The distribution was facilitated in 2022, Juntillo said.
Juntillo pointed out that the number of ST Odette (international name: Rai) survivors in December 2021 in the list provided by the Cebu Provincial Government did not match the NHA list.
The Cebu Provincial Capitol, under the previous administration, listed at least 400,000 victims while NHA logged about 72,000 only.
Juntillo pointed out that negotiation between NHA and Cebu Province went on several times for the distribution of the P10,000 housing assistance. He said it reached to a point that the Capitol proposed the funds be downloaded to the provincial coffers and that the Cebu Provincial Government will take care of the distribution based on Capitol list. But Juntillo was not amenable to the suggestion since it violates NHA guidelines.
Further, Juntillo said, incumbent Governor Pamela Baricuatro may request the NHA for the re-release of the funds.
On the other hand, Juntillo underscored that despite previous complaints on the distribution, he assured that the agency complied with the stringent rules of the Commission on Audit (COA).
He said the full amount of P10,000 was handed over to beneficiaries with pictures, signature, and thumb mark of typhoon survivors to show proof.
To recall, in May 2024, a few beneficiaries accused that during the distribution in Lapu-Lapu City a community organization took a cut from the amount. Those who refused the cut were removed allegedly from the list of their barangay organization.
Juntillo said there are several ways to deal with the allegation. Beneficiaries may file formal complaints against any unscrupulous procedure in the distribution, he added.
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