PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—An initial group of 730 families, victims of fire which razed their houses in late July in Barangay San Pedro, Kawit and Santiago, this city, has been transferred to newly constructed housing units at Barangay Nazareth, a top city official said.
More than half of the victims were informal settlers.
Mayor Romeo Pulmones said he had earlier directed Teresita Amoroso, City Social Welfare and Development Office chief, to initiate the immediate transfer of the fire victims to the one-story houses at said barangay.
Pulmones said a total of 1,407 housing units would be built for the remaining homeless victims, most of whom continue to be temporarily housed at the city gymnasium and covered courts at Barangay San Francisco.
Some fire victims have reportedly decided to return to their home barangays while others opted to stay with their relatives in the city proper.
Amoroso added that another 353 housing units will be constructed at Barangay Nazareth while 497 will be built at Barangay San Pedro, adding that social welfare and development records showed 2,007 families from the three villages lost their homes during the three-hour fire.
This 15-year-old mountain city is described by foreign and domestic visitors as the Little Hong Kong of the Philippines due to its physical similarity to the Crown Colony.
Each of the homeowners received P7,500 cash assistance from the local government unit and an additional P30,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
