TUBA, Benguet – The municipal government recently received a land donation from the Cordillera and Region I office of the National Housing Authority (NHA) with a total area of 4 hectares in one of the barangays along the Baguio-Asin Road for the local government’s socialized housing for homeless residents in the municipality.
Mayor Ignacio Rivera said he was surprised to receive the donation from NHA officials because the local government is really in need of lands to be developed for socialized housing beneficial for their constituents.
He said homeless government workers and residents of Tuba will be the primary beneficiaries of the socialized housing project on the donated property and this will only be opened to outside applicants once all the qualified government workers and homeless residents from the different barangays will be provided an area from the project site.
“We are elated to be a recipient of the donated property. We assured NHA officials that we will closely work with the agency to make sure that our socialized housing project in the area will be done pursuant to project standards,” Rivera stressed.
The mayor claimed there is a growing need for housing among the rapidly increasing population in the municipality that is why the 4-hectare property will be key in rolling out the town’s housing project to provide qualified applicants and homeless residents with decent housing.
Tuba is one of the expansion areas outside Baguio city considering with sufficient lands that could be developed into housing, institutional, educational, commercial, among other uses, that could contribute in spurring economic growth in the municipality.
Rivera is also looking forward to more partnerships with relevant government agencies to help his town succeed in providing basic services to his constituents.
According to him, the municipal government is putting in place sustainable programs and projects that will contribute to generating employment opportunities for qualified local residents, increase their economic activities and provide additional sources of livelihood to lift living standards of the people, especially in far-flung areas in the locality.
He explained there are numerous private subdivision projects that were completed in the municipality over the past several years which contributed in sheltering not only for government workers in the municipality but also for other workers in other local governments and homeless residents who had been longing for decent shelter for their families.
Rivera claimed he will closely work with NHA officials for the crafting of the rules and regulations that will govern the implementation of the housing project within the donated property, a pilot housing project for the municipality that could be replicated in other available areas in the town if it will be successful.
By HENT
