Remote village in Leyte gets 26 new houses

Map of Burauen, Leyte (Photo by Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

BURAUEN, Leyte — The provincial government of Leyte and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office turned over on Monday 26 permanent houses for residents in an interior rebel-infested village here.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominco Petilla is positive that the project will help address insurgency and encourage residents to become more productive.

“Economic development begins in you. The government hopes that your place will attain peace and prosperity,” Petilla told the beneficiaries after handling the certificate of ownership.

For their part, the beneficiaries thanked the government for relocating them to a safer community, farther from the place where rebels were frequently sighted.

To reach Tagbaya sub-village, one must cross three rivers. Tagbaya is just a few kilometers away from Roxas village, where soldiers overran a rebel encampment and had an encounter with the insurgents last week.

The site is about 25 kilometers upland from the town center.

The Burauen local government bought the lot to build the houses while the Leyte provincial government provided PHP10,000 for each family to buy additional housing materials.

The DSWD funded the construction of houses, which started early this year.

The houses, which cost PHP70,000 each, is a mix of concrete and wood materials. The floor area for each unit is 80 square meters.

Villagers also asked the governor to establish a school building, road, and bridges in the area. (PNA)