ALMOST five years since the July 6, 2017 Leyte earthquake, Ormoc City’s shelter program that was supposed to provide roof over the heads of 2,272 displaced families remains existent only on paper.
The 2021 audit of the city government released last April 28 showed the P38.942 million fund released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on January 31, 2018 remains with the local government since the project has not left the drawing board.
This despite last year’s recommendation by government auditors that the city should just return the entire sum to the DSWD “if the project is no longer feasible or necessary” after the construction of temporary shelters was overtaken by the permanent housing project of the National Housing Authority (NHA).
A copy of the audit report was received by the office of City Mayor Richard Gomez on April 22, 2022.
Likewise marked “Not Implemented” was the recommendation of the Commission on Audit that the city should fast-track the implementation of the project if the benefits still outweigh the cost.
The years of delay meant the original budget is no longer enough to build the target number of temporary shelters for families who lost their homes and those who were ordered to move out of areas marked as danger zones.
Originally, the City Social Welfare and Development officer and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management officer said the only problem was finding a suitable location for the housing projects.
A good spot was found in Barangay Gaas and it was certified safe by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
However, negotiations to acquire the property from the private owner took almost a year while another four months was needed to issue a purchase request for construction materials.
By then the cost of construction materials, labor, and other attendant expenses.
From the original estimate of P15,000 per unit, the cost ballooned to P29,974.05 — nearly twice the previous projections.
Left without any other recourse, the city government reduced the target number from 2,272 units to only 884 — a 60 percent drop.
As of yearend 2021, not a single stick has been erected.
When the COVID-19 broke, the city government tried another tack — it requested to be allowed to revert the money to its General Fund so it can be used for its pandemic response, but this was turned down by the DSWD.
“After receipt of DSWD’s reply and several meetings on the matter, a project proposal for a Shelter Program for Displaced Communities in Ormoc City was sent through mail to DSWD RO8 (Regional Office 8) on November 16, 2021,” the city government said.
