Government officials led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo welcomed 500 Ondoy-affected families from Rizal and Taytay who were relocated to their new homes in Southville8 and 8A Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal.
The President appeared pleased upon being briefed by Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chair Noli de Castro that the relocatees will pay only P200 per month for their housing unit starting November 2010.
The chief executive was also glad to announce that the government resettlement project is not located in the active fault line and is, therefore, safe from earthquakes and also from floods since it is situated in a high area. Director Renato Solidum, Jr., head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, conducted a briefing on the valley fault system in the province of Rizal.
According to Rizal Governor Jun Ynares III, the initial 500 Ondoy-affected family relocatees came from danger areas in San Rafael, Manggahan, Balite, Rosario, San Jose, San Isidro, Burgos and Geronimo in Rizal and Lupang Arenda in Taytay.
Southville 8 and 8A projects cover an aggregate of 18.73 hectares which would generate some 3,000 housing units with average lot sizes of 40 square meters. The land is owned by the Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC) and administered by the National Housing Authority (NHA).
The HUDCC Chair said a housing unit costs P202,000 but the beneficiaries will only have to pay P150,000. Monthly payments of P200 will start next year, he added.
The resettlement sites already have roads and pathways, underground drainage system, individual septic tanks, individual waterline connection and shallow wells and MERALCO individual metering system. Community facilities to be provided in the area include health center, covered court, barangay center, livelihood production and training center, one unit three-storey (15 classrooms) school building and one police station.
Construction of housing units is presently being rushed by private developers Baque Construction for Southville 8 and Gateway Sand Builders, Inc. for Southville 8A.
