DHSUD turns over 190 homes to quake-hit families in Ilocos Sur

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has turned over 190 housing units to the local government of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, for families displaced by the magnitude 7 earthquake and successive typhoons that struck the Ilocos Region in 2022.

Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the turnover of house-and-lot units at the Caoayan Resettlement Project in Barangay Villamar on Thursday fulfilled the national government's commitment to providing permanent shelters for disaster-affected families.

"Pagkatapos nung malakas na lindol na sumira sa maraming kabahayan, kami po sa DHSUD ay agad na nagplano para sa paglilikas ng mga apektadong pamilya kasama na ang mga nasa danger zone. Ngayon, ang planong yun na atin nang naisakatuparan kasama ang ibat ibang ahensya ng gobyerno," Aliling said.

The project, funded through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, prioritizes families whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake and typhoons, as well as residents living in high-risk areas.

“Relocating families from hazard-prone areas to a safer environment was the main goal of this project. Our efforts also include ensuring access to basic services, public facilities, and opportunities for socio-economic development,” Aliling said.

The housing chief said the development supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s goal of establishing sustainable and disaster-resilient communities.

DHSUD Regional Office 1, headed by Director Eleador Balgos, was tasked with coordinating access to essential services and community facilities at the relocation site.

Aliling said the department would continue working with local governments and national agencies to provide additional infrastructure and services needed by residents.

The agency also facilitated the formation of a homeowners' association, whose officers were inducted during the turnover ceremony.

DHSUD Assistant Secretary Rosve Henson represented Aliling at the event.