City eyes 'cash for work' program to build houses for typhoon victims
The city government is contemplating to disburse portion of the P850,000 trust fund donated by various sectors for the typhoon Frank victims in the city for the "cash for work" program.
Mayor Jerry Treñas said they will spend part of the trust fund to hire skilled workers for the construction of Gawad Kalinga housing units for the typhoon affected families whose houses were destroyed by typhoon Frank.
Treñas said under the "cash for work" program, the city will hire skilled workers to construct the houses for an initial 300 recipient families at the 1.6 hectares relocation site in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro.
Earlier, the city also announced that the "cash for work" program would be co-sponsored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Labor and Employment.
The idea to embank on a "cash for work" program was reached after the chief executive met with Tony Meloto, initiator of the Gawad Kalinga (Care-Giving) Community Development Foundation.
Treñas said the skilled workers will be assisted by the recipient families during the construction stage.
For the Gawad Kalinga alone, they pledged to 300 houses. Each housing unit costs P50,000. Congressman Raul Gonzalez, Jr. and Senator Miguel Zubiri promised 50 homes each, 240 units from DSWD, 750 from Senator Richard Gordon and 100 units from the Community Lead Infrastructure Facilities. The San Isidro site is good for 1,900 houses.
Meanwhile, the Iloilo City Urban Poor and Affairs Office (ICUPAO) will validate who among the typhoon affected families should be accommodated first in the relocation site.