300 housing units remain unoccupied in Roxas City

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz — About 300 housing units at Jumaguicjic Ville in Barangay Jumaguicjic remain unoccupied despite having already been awarded to beneficiaries, local officials said.

Barangay Jumaguicjic Punong Barangay Rizal Dichosa said he discovered the situation during a recent inspection conducted with the National Housing Authority.

Dichosa said the housing units were awarded to residents of Barangay 7 who lost their homes to a fire and to families from coastal barangays whose houses were destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Several beneficiaries reportedly chose not to occupy the units, citing their dependence on fishing livelihoods in coastal communities and their children’s schooling arrangements.

Dichosa appealed to the recipients to give importance to the government housing project, noting that some individuals had damaged housing units, sold parts of the structures, or used the area for illegal drug use and transactions.

The National Housing Authority implements relocation projects nationwide to provide permanent housing for families displaced by disasters and other emergencies.