NHA gives 50 houses to Nueva Vizcaya IPs unity

By Arlie O. Calalo

FIFTY houses were turned over by the National Housing Authority (NHA) to the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya.
    NHA General Manager Joeben Tai, represented by Regional Manager Ferdinand Sales during the turnover ceremony, said the latest allocation of housing units would only show that "the poorest of the poor are the priority of the national government."
    The NHA distributed the certifications of eligibility of lot allocations and led in the signing of the Deed of Donation and Acceptance with the immediate beneficiaries from the Bungkalot tribe in the town. Joining NHA were Dupax del Norte Mayor Timothy Joseph Cayton, Vice Mayor Victorino Prado Jr., and representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
    Tai said that the IP housing project in Dupax del Norte is proof of the NHA's relentless efforts to meet the housing needs of poor Filipino families.
    "I hope that during my term, we will be able to help address the housing needs, not only of the IP families but all the poor homeless Filipino families," said the NHA official, adding that the project is under the NHA Housing Assistance Program for Indigenous Peoples.
    The agreement for the construction of the housing units was signed by representatives from the NHA, local government unit (LGU), Bugkalot tribe and NCIP.
    Tai said the houses the NHA built are accustomed to the IPs' culture, customs, traditions, livelihood and symbols they observed.
    The NHA conducts regular consultations with the affected IP community, NCIP, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and concerned LGU in finding a suitable location for the IP housing sites — within their ancestral domain and near their farmlands.
    From the original P10 million funding assistance allocated to every IP project, the budget was increased to P20 million to cover land development, housing construction, and technical assistance.
    Tai said the P20 million funding is a grant to LGUs in coordination with NCIP and IP community, he said.